1
as in to end
to bring (an event) to a natural or appropriate stopping point
try to wind up the performance, as we're almost out of time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to stop
to come to an end
her speeches usually wind up with one last joke
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in ending
the last part of a process or action
wait until the windup of your sales pitch before giving up any information about the product's price point
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wind up
Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 14 Mar. 2026
Cancer researchers have discovered that a notorious oncogene may occasionally wind up exposed on the outside of tumor cells, hinting at a surprising new immunotherapy target.
—Stat Staff, STAT, 13 Mar. 2026
Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
Two and two to Harvey Kuenn, one strike away, Sandy into his windup.
—Steve Futterman, NPR, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wind up
Verb
Heavy snow and strong winds up to 60 mph possible, with the National Weather Service warning that travel will likely become impossible late Saturday and Sunday.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 14 Mar. 2026
Cancer researchers have discovered that a notorious oncogene may occasionally wind up exposed on the outside of tumor cells, hinting at a surprising new immunotherapy target.
—Stat Staff, STAT, 13 Mar. 2026
Noun
That’s certainly not unique to McCarthy’s work, but the windup rabbit toy in Caveat is distinctly unnerving, thanks in large part to its weirdly human eyes.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
Two and two to Harvey Kuenn, one strike away, Sandy into his windup.
—Steve Futterman, NPR, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wind up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wind up
Verb
-
These signals intensified recently when Kast abruptly ended the transition process after a clash with outgoing Boric over a project to install a submarine cable to connect Chile and China.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Voting for the Oscars ended March 5, possibly giving members of the academy just enough time to reconsider the slate of nominees.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Kuemper stopped 21 shots for the Kings, who entered the night one point out of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Rather than stopping disagreements from happening, this aspect is about repairing any damage left behind.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
However the film lands a poignant and lyrical ending that sends the audience out on a note of hope.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Beginning early Saturday morning and ending, hopefully, before midnight, Anderson was walking a 50-mile circuit of his own design through the entire city of San Francisco.—
John Ramos,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Alajuelense returned the favor, beating LAFC 2-1 at BMO Stadium a week later, but that wasn’t enough to prevent the Black & Gold from continuing on the road to finishing runners-up to León.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Legislators craft viral moments for television and social media, sharpen partisan talking points and prepare for the next race long before the current term is finished.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In Kansas, several counties in the southeastern and northeastern area of the state were placed under the watch, set to expire at midnight, including Douglas, Leavenworth, Wyandotte and Johnson counties, among several others.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Therefore the warning will be allowed to expire.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
However, that conclusion has been questioned by some critics.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Though the assessor’s office relies heavily on data and modeling, its conclusions, outside appeals and internal policies can drastically change values and make the office’s political tightrope shaky.—
A.D. Quig,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Some questions may be adapted into full columns, and transcripts of the chats remain available after each session concludes.—
Carolyn Hax,
Washington Post,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Federal investigators said their review uncovered broader violations, concluding the district also allowed male students to access female-only facilities and compete on girls teams.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Time ceases to exist in a place like this.—
Julissa James,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
-
For similar reasons, many of the foundations and artists’ estates once considered the ultimate authorities (like the Keith Haring Foundation and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts) have ceased offering authentication services.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wind up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wind%20up. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
