rewind

American  

[ree-wahynd, ree-wahynd] / riˈwaɪnd, ˈriˌwaɪnd /

verb (used with or without object)

rewound, rewinded, rewinding

1. to wind again.

2. to wind back to or toward the beginning; reverse.

---

noun

1. an act or instance of rewinding.

2. Recording.

   1. a function of an audio or video recorder or player, as a cassette deck or DVR, that returns the audio or video incrementally to an earlier point.

   2. the button or other control that activates this reversing function.

3. a camera control or mechanism used to wind film back into a film cassette.

rewind British  

verb

1. (tr) to wind back, esp a film or tape onto the original reel

---

noun

1. something rewound

2. the act of rewinding

Other Word Forms

• rewinder noun

Etymology

Origin of rewind

First recorded in 1710–20; re- + wind ²

Example Sentences

We can’t rewind the tape without the war to see if its warning was valid.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

For a preview of what might follow, just rewind the tape.

From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026

I wanted to replay my 20s, to rewind, to fast-forward, to choose differently.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026

The team attempted to "rewind the clock" by about 80 million years, which is how long the rock is estimated to have been exposed at the Martian surface.

From Science Daily • Feb. 12, 2026

I said, “Well, how about I watch the end with you, and then I can rewind it and watch up to the point I started watching with you?”

From "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky

Related Words

• back up
• reverse
• undo