wind up
Britishverb
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to bring to or reach a conclusion
he wound up the proceedings
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(tr) to tighten the spring of (a clockwork mechanism)
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informal (tr; usually passive) to make nervous, tense, etc; excite
he was all wound up before the big fight
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(tr) to roll (thread, etc) into a ball
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an informal word for liquidate
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informal (intr) to end up (in a specified state)
you'll wind up without any teeth
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(tr; usually passive) to involve; entangle
they were wound up in three different scandals
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(tr) to hoist or haul up
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slang (tr) to tease (someone)
noun
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the act of concluding
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the finish; end
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slang an act or instance of teasing
she just thinks it's a big wind-up
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Come or bring to a finish, as in The party was winding up, so we decided to leave , or Let's wind up the meeting and get back to work . [Early 1800s] Also see wind down .
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Put in order, settle, as in She had to wind up her affairs before she could move . [Late 1700s]
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Arrive somewhere following a course of action, end up, as in We got lost and wound up in another town altogether , or If you're careless with your bank account, you can wind up overdrawn . [ Colloquial ; early 1900s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They were wholly embarrassed in their first two shorthanded games and will wind up falling to a fourth or fifth seed with a first-round matchup looming against Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
As the company prepares for a public launch, experts have said SpaceX’s IPO could wind up a friend or foe to the space sector, which itself is no stranger to meme stocks.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026
The iconic NFL franchise is searching for a new home—and it could wind up across the border in an entirely new state.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
The retail pullback may reflect a broader uncertainty about the war’s escalation and a possible economic slowdown if the conflict doesn’t wind up soon.
From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026
She and Peris used to boast they’d never wind up so idiotic, so shallow.
From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
