winch

1
[ winch ]
See synonyms for winch on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the crank or handle of a revolving machine.

  2. a windlass turned by a crank, for hoisting or hauling.

  1. any of various devices for cranking.

  2. Also wince. Textiles.

    • any machine equipped with rollers that guide cloth through a dye or finishing solution in an open vat.

    • a roller between two dyeing vats for passing cloth from one vat to another.

verb (used with object)
  1. to hoist or haul (a load) by means of a winch.

Origin of winch

1
before 1050; Middle English winche,Old English wince pulley; akin to wench, wince1, wink1

Other words from winch

  • wincher, noun

Words that may be confused with winch

Words Nearby winch

Other definitions for winch (2 of 2)

winch2
[ winch ]

verb (used without object), nounArchaic.
  1. an archaic variant of wince1.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use winch in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for winch (1 of 2)

winch1

/ (wɪntʃ) /


noun
  1. a windlass driven by a hand- or power-operated crank

  2. a hand- or power-operated crank by which a machine is driven

verb
  1. (tr; often foll by up or in) to pull (in a rope) or lift (a weight) using a winch

Origin of winch

1
Old English wince pulley; related to wink 1

Derived forms of winch

  • wincher, noun

British Dictionary definitions for winch (2 of 2)

winch2

/ (wɪntʃ) /


verb
  1. (intr) an obsolete word for wince 1

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