as in relaxes
to get rid of nervous tension or anxiety
not being one for alcoholic beverages, I prefer to wind down with a cup of tea every night
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Recent Examples of winds down
As the regular season winds down in boys basketball, teams are battling it out for district championships but more notably, many are battling for remaining playoff spots and seedings.
—
Ishmael Johnson, Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
As winter winds down in North Texas, predictions for spring weather are here.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Feb. 2026
As the month winds down, February asks you to slow down and listen more closely to what your emotions are revealing.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 1 Feb. 2026
Contestants cheer each other on and even help each other out as the clock winds down.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Feb. 2026
The nerves that Landfair had been suppressing only show as the interview winds down, letting out a relieved and shaky breath after answering the last question.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2026
Burroughs explained at least four presses will fire up as the game winds down, operating from sunset to sunrise.
—Kelly Werthmann, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
Vanderbilt will acquire the California College of the Arts campus in the city’s downtown, as the roughly 120-year-old school winds down its operations by 2027, according to a release.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
Some afternoons, as the day winds down, Jewelers Row feels suspended between eras.
—Parin Moradiya, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
Ishmael Johnson, Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
As winter winds down in North Texas, predictions for spring weather are here.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Feb. 2026
As the month winds down, February asks you to slow down and listen more closely to what your emotions are revealing.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 1 Feb. 2026
Contestants cheer each other on and even help each other out as the clock winds down.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Feb. 2026
The nerves that Landfair had been suppressing only show as the interview winds down, letting out a relieved and shaky breath after answering the last question.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2026
Burroughs explained at least four presses will fire up as the game winds down, operating from sunset to sunrise.
—Kelly Werthmann, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
Vanderbilt will acquire the California College of the Arts campus in the city’s downtown, as the roughly 120-year-old school winds down its operations by 2027, according to a release.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
Some afternoons, as the day winds down, Jewelers Row feels suspended between eras.
—Parin Moradiya, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winds down
Verb
-
House Bill 267 relaxes funding restrictions to the State Housing Initiatives Program, known as SHIP, which provides local governments with money to promote housing affordability for residents.—
Max Klaver,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Néfissa relaxes with all generations of her sprawling family.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The key to its longevity rests in the show’s unpredictable ability to evolve.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Feb. 2026
-
This approach rests on four key factors.—
Alaa Shahine Salha,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Winds down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winds%20down. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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