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stemwinder

American  
[stem-wahyn-der] / ˈstɛmˈwaɪn dər /
Or stem-winder

noun

  1. a stemwinding watch.

  2. Older Slang.

    1. something remarkable of its kind.

    2. a rousing speech, especially a stirring political address.

    3. a stirring orator.

Etymology

Origin of stemwinder

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70; stem 1 + winder

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.

Trump spoke for an hour and 40 minutes, topping former President Clinton’s record-setting stemwinder given at the 2000 State of the Union, which ran for an hour and 28 minutes.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2025

The usual parade of star elected officials sauntered past, but this time most opted to forgo the standard stemwinder for a tight five.

From Salon • Aug. 24, 2024

And as Friday began, McCarthy was deep into his stemwinder, shutting down business as usual.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 18, 2021

But Adam Schiff delivered a stemwinder for the Democrats, complete with graphics and video.

From Fox News • Jan. 22, 2020

What sort of watch was yours, domestic or foreign, stemwinder or keyed, open face or hunting case, gold, silver, or nickel case?

From The Hilltop Boys on the River by Burleigh, Cyril

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.