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winder

American  
[wahyn-der] / ˈwaɪn dər /

noun

  • winders
    plural
  1. a person or thing that winds.

  2. a staircase step for changing direction.

  3. a plant that coils or twines itself about something.

  4. an instrument or a machine for winding thread or the like.


winder British  
/ ˈwaɪndə /

noun

  1. a person or device that winds, as an engine for hoisting the cages in a mine shaft or a device for winding the yarn in textile manufacture

  2. an object, such as a bobbin, around which something is wound

  3. a knob or key used to wind up a clock, watch, or similar mechanism

  4. any plant that twists itself around a support

  5. a step of a spiral staircase

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of winder

First recorded in 1545–55; wind 2 + -er 1


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.

See Examples For:

If using a homemade winder,*** consider gluing or taping the string to the winder so that your string stays connected if you happen to use all of your string to fly the kite.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2026

Working nearby, winder Derrick Petty said he is still learning the quirks of the job after a year at Hitachi Energy and 14 years at another transformer factory.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 16, 2025

His father was a shawl weaver and his mother was a cotton winder.

From BBC ● Nov. 30, 2024

Johansson corralled the puck and found winder Jordan Eberle, who was all alone to Comrie’s right.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 17, 2022

Granfer sits in the winder an' looks acrost the bay; Sure 'nuff he thinks a mort o' things tho' 'tis little he has to say.

From Cornish Catches and Other Verses by Bernard Moore

“Believe me when I say that they are artists,” Anthony Allard, head of North America for Hitachi Energy, said of winders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 16, 2025

Firefighters, who typically rely on calmer winders and lower temperatures to make progress in the evening, have been hindered by unexpectedly strong winds at night.

From Seattle Times ● May 7, 2022

Sen. John Boozman is known as a soft-spoken man given more to quietly sharing jokes about his days as a Razorbacks football player than memorable stem winders or full-throated, rallying speeches.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 15, 2016

A sign pointed the way to the “Gent’s Toilet”; antique fire pails hung at the ends of each row of yarn winders.

From The New Yorker ● Aug. 11, 2016

Next time he come the winders was down again.

From The Girls of Hillcrest Farm The Secret of the Rocks by Amy Bell Marlowe

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