unwind

American  

[uhn-wahynd] / ʌnˈwaɪnd /

verb (used with object)

• unwinds,
  present (3rd person singular)
• unwound,
  past participle,  past
• unwinding
  present participle

1. to undo or loosen from or as if from a coiled condition.

   to unwind a rolled bandage; to unwind a coiled rope.

2. to reduce the tension of; relax.

   to unwind a person with a drink.

3. to disentangle or disengage; untwist.

   to unwind one's legs from around the stool.

---

verb (used without object)

• unwinds,
  present (3rd person singular)
• unwound,
  past participle,  past
• unwinding
  present participle

1. to become unwound.

2. to become relieved of tension; relax.

   After work we can have a drink and unwind.

unwind British  

/ ʌnˈwaɪnd /

verb

1. to slacken, undo, or unravel or cause to slacken, undo, or unravel

2. (tr) to disentangle

3. to make or become relaxed

   he finds it hard to unwind after a busy day at work

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unwinder
  noun
• unwindable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• unwinding
  present
• unwound
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• unwind
  simple
• unwinds
  simple
• have unwound
  perfect
• has unwound
  perfect
• am unwinding
  progressive
• are unwinding
  progressive
• is unwinding
  progressive
• have been unwinding
  perfect progressive
• has been unwinding
  perfect progressive

Past

• unwound
  simple
• had unwound
  perfect
• was unwinding
  progressive
• were unwinding
  progressive
• had been unwinding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will unwind
  simple
• will have unwound
  perfect
• will be unwinding
  progressive
• will have been unwinding
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of unwind

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English onwinden; see un- ², wind ²

Explanation

The literal meaning of the verb unwind is exactly what it sounds like — the opposite of "wind," or twist. But when someone says they need to unwind, they mean that they need to relax. When you come inside on a cold, snowy day, you might first unwind the scarf from around your neck, loosening and untwisting it. If you then grab a cup of hot chocolate and put your feet up on the coffee table, you’ll feel yourself start to unwind, or become less tense. Unwind has been in use since the fourteenth century, but the figurative meaning of “to relax” dates only from the mid-twentieth century.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

unwind unwinds unwound unwinding

In one video, the workers unwind a line of black tubing, or conduit, from a spool the size of a small car, before feeding it into the ground.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026

In the equities space, a carry unwind would be especially painful for the artificial-intelligence and technology complex, where high valuations and crowded positions make conditions ripe for a selloff, said Swissquote’s Ipek Ozkardeskaya.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

The Aussie-yen pair would probably be one of the major casualties if an unwind unfolds, she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

“What happens as yen funded carry trades unwind back into Japanese bonds/equities?” asked Privorotsky.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026

As soon as I saw it, I felt a ball of shredded nerves unwind and whip around my stomach.

From "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds

Here, he reflects on how he unwinds and where he’s taking “Survivor” next.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

“Rotations and momentum factor unwinds have in their initial stages tended to lead to increased overall market volatility.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

When the trade unwinds, it will entail the opposite of what’s been happening — the selling of individual-stock volatility and the buying of index volatility, and a likely sharp rise in correlations.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 3, 2026

While some F1 stars like Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc choose to race online in their spare time, Häkkinen unwinds by riding horses.

From BBC ● May 21, 2026

And look: from the deck of the Giulia something else unwinds now.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

“There is very little crowding risk embedded in the current sector leadership, and little dry powder being unwound against it,” they say.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026

The boom results were posted despite South Korean stocks suffering a sharp sell-off on Wednesday as nervous traders unwound AI-driven bets, fretting whether lofty profit forecasts are realistic.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

The Department of Justice argued that immigrant kids could still sue over poor conditions if the Flores settlement is unwound.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

The economist expects further weakness in gold prices as speculative excess is unwound and equity markets soften, noting that gold’s current correlation with the benchmark S&P 500 index is the highest in around 14 years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

At least when Jinny unwound her rags one morning, she found her bleeding had stopped.

From "Orphan Island" by Laurel Snyder

Any unwinding of the trade could spell trouble for AI and technology stocks.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026

A September increase would complete the unwinding of the second of the three production-cut packages introduced by OPEC+.

From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026

Some members of the group known as OPEC+ have been gradually unwinding voluntary production cuts of 1.65 million barrels that were announced in April 2023.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026

When the act was passed, the Vietnam War was unwinding, and Richard Nixon’s presidency was collapsing in the wake of the Watergate scandal.

From Slate ● Jun. 29, 2026

And then she’s gone again, unwinding herself like a ribbon.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

Related Words

• loosen
• unfurl
• unravel