winch

[winch]

See more synonyms for winch on Thesaurus.com

noun

the crank or handle of a revolving machine.
a windlass turned by a crank, for hoisting or hauling.
any of various devices for cranking.

Also wince. Textiles.
1. any machine equipped with rollers that guide cloth through a dye or finishing solution in an open vat.
2. a roller between two dyeing vats for passing cloth from one vat to another.

verb (used with object)

to hoist or haul (a load) by means of a winch.

Origin of winch

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

Related formswinch·er, noun

Can be confusedwench winch

winch

[winch]

verb (used without object), noun Archaic.

wince¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for winch

tool, chuck, winch

Examples from the Web for winch

Contemporary Examples of winch

Video of the search shows the winch struggling to cope with the stormy conditions.
William's Winchman Wins Bravery Award
Tom Sykes
September 28, 2012
Then out of the mist, a whirring of helicopter blades, and, deus ex machina, a man descends fromt he chopper to winch you aboard.
Girl Rescued by Prince William Speaks!
Tom Sykes
August 30, 2012

Historical Examples of winch

In the circle in winch he moved, he was the friend of everybody and everybody was his friend.
Cleveland Past and Present
Maurice Joblin
I was awakened in the small hours by the rattle of the winch.
The Great White Tribe in Filipinia
Paul T. Gilbert
But Mr. Fotheringay never heard what Mr. Winch was going to tell him.
Tales of Space and Time
Herbert George Wells
Suffice it, too, that the problem of Winch remained unsolved.
Tales of Space and Time
Herbert George Wells
One of the footmen ran for the winch, and another brought a knife from the house.
Black Beauty
Anna Sewell

British Dictionary definitions for winch

winch

noun

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

verb

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

Derived Formswincher, noun

Word Origin for winch

Old English wince pulley; related to wink 1

winch

verb

(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

Word Origin and History for winch

Old English wince, from Proto-Germanic *winkjo-, from PIE *weng- (see wink (v.)).

"to hoist with a winch," 1520s, from winch (n.). Related: Winched; winching.