winding 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of windingnext
1
as in twisting
marked by a long series of irregular curves a long and winding path through the woods

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in spiral
turning around an axis like the thread of a screw a winding staircase leads to the top of the lighthouse

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

winding

2 of 3

noun

as in loop

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winding

3 of 3

verb

present participle of wind
1
as in coiling
to follow a circular or spiral course flowering vines wind around the porch's graceful columns

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2
as in infiltrating
to introduce in a gradual, secret, or clever way self-interest winds itself into everything that he does—even his alleged favors for other people

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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 winding
Adjective
For such a long and winding season, the last game was also a surprisingly neat bow. — Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026 Vast stretches of suburban concrete block its natural drainage, and thousands of homes have been built along its winding, sluggish tributaries. — Dominic Boyer, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2026
Noun
The winding, dry riverbeds are dotted with massive Ana trees, whose roots dive 98 to 130 feet deep into hidden subterranean water. — Rebekah Peppler, Travel + Leisure, 14 July 2026 Haissem Hassan had made a winding run down the Argentine right before finding Pharaohs star Mohamed Salah. — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 7 July 2026
Verb
One of the ways Fernandez would display it was by targeting ex-Chelsea players on the pitch, being antagonistic and winding them up, and fans loved him for it. — Simon Johnson, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026 Tracing the length of one of these wild, winding promontories is the glorious, 46-mile Queen Charlotte Track, says Helen Pickles in The Times. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 30 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for winding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winding
  1. curved
  2. spiral
  3. loop
  4. coiling
  5. infiltrating
  6. serpentine
  7. coil
  8. curling
Adjective
  • The curved trees were then placed on a horizontal rotating platform inside a sphere lit up from every direction.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The tight cropping in the monochrome nudes isolates slopes, folds, shadowed recesses and curved planes that hover between landscape and abstraction.
    — Tara Anne Dalbow, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of curved
Adjective
  • That salon, Mayfair, became the setting for a film that follows Zaineen (Zaineen Chowdhury Karim), a bride-to-be whose wedding preparations spiral into a battle with her own body.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
  • During his testimony, the prosecution produced a spiral notebook in which Clancy had left instructions for caretakers on when to put down the baby, which vegetables to prepare for dinner, how to cut up the sweet potatoes.
    — Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of spiral
Noun
  • There's also a small flip up carry loop, which is a nice feature for a bottle with a comparably wide diameter.
    — Emily Farris, Bon Appetit Magazine, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Reportedly, the artificial intelligence serves as both the observational eyes and the active navigator throughout the procedure by establishing a continuous feedback loop between real-time ultrasound image processing and physical surgical control.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of loop
Verb
  • Joe Kramm | Courtesy of Francis Interiors The gold background is a spread of bold graphic lines, undulating shapes and coiling circular motifs, referencing the work of French artist, sculptor and designer Jean Dunand (1877–1942).
    — R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • Receiving a ball punched out of Tunisia’s area, the Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder took one touch to knock it into space, before coiling his diminutive frame behind a fierce shot that fizzed and curled into the net.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 15 June 2026
Definition of coiling
Verb
  • Valdes was a Cuban intelligence asset tasked with infiltrating Cuban exile organizations since at least the 1990s, according to ICE.
    — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Earlier this year, Anthropic’s Mythos AI model made headlines when it was caught infiltrating third party systems, a cybersecurity nightmare years in the making.
    — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of infiltrating
Adjective
  • Peter Zumthor’s design hoists a serpentine platform atop pavilions that read like stout, truncated legs, making the edifice almost creaturely in its architectural stance.
    — George Baker, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The larvae feed on the tree through winter, carving serpentine tunnels that ultimately interfere with the tree’s ability to feed itself.
    — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of serpentine
Noun
  • Once inside the brain, the nanoparticles would be controlled—to stimulate neurons in specific areas of the brain or to read neuron activity—through a specialized cap or headset containing magnetic coils.
    — Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026
  • If the threat persists, the snake may bite its opponent, coil around it, and emit a foul-smelling secretion from its anal glands.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of coil
Verb
  • Tagovailoa was lying on a field in Miami, involuntarily grasping at the air with his right arm before curling into something akin to the fetal position.
    — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Adeyemi scored Barcelona’s second against Feyenoord with a curling shot, Yamal added the fourth with a free kick and there was also a first goal for Gabriel Jesus, who joined from Arsenal on deadline day.
    — Stuart James, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of curling

Browse Nearby Words

windiness
winding
winding down
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Cite this Entry

“Winding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winding. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on winding

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about winding

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