Synonyms

wind-down

American

[wahynd-doun] / ˈwaɪndˌdaʊn /

noun

an act or instance of winding down, as in intensity.

a gradual wind-down in hostilities.

wind down British

/ waɪnd /

verb

(tr) to lower or move down by cranking
(intr) (of a clock spring) to become slack
(intr) to diminish gradually in force or power; relax

"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

wind down Idioms

Diminish gradually, draw to a close, as in By midnight the party had wound down. [Mid-1900s] Also see wind up.

Etymology

Origin of wind-down

First recorded in 1965–70; noun use of the verb phrase wind down

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.

A gradual wind-down, an employee stock-ownership plan, a partial sale or a spin-off may save some jobs, but perhaps not all of them — and that’s OK.

From MarketWatch

The committee said in court papers that First Brands has disclosed that it is moving toward a partial wind-down process, with bids for its assets due in less than a month.

From The Wall Street Journal

That’s the administration’s strategy for wind-down, and it’s smart.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I’ve started to think a lot about how the world is so focused on productivity. We’re focused on the waking world. It’s all about the morning routine. But we don’t really talk about the wind-down,” Equihua says.

From Los Angeles Times

It was only reasonable to expect some doldrums after the wind-down of the Big Three.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023