wind up
Britishverb
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to bring to or reach a conclusion
he wound up the proceedings
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(tr) to tighten the spring of (a clockwork mechanism)
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informal (tr; usually passive) to make nervous, tense, etc; excite
he was all wound up before the big fight
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(tr) to roll (thread, etc) into a ball
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an informal word for liquidate
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informal (intr) to end up (in a specified state)
you'll wind up without any teeth
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(tr; usually passive) to involve; entangle
they were wound up in three different scandals
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(tr) to hoist or haul up
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slang (tr) to tease (someone)
noun
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the act of concluding
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the finish; end
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slang an act or instance of teasing
she just thinks it's a big wind-up
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Come or bring to a finish, as in The party was winding up, so we decided to leave , or Let's wind up the meeting and get back to work . [Early 1800s] Also see wind down .
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Put in order, settle, as in She had to wind up her affairs before she could move . [Late 1700s]
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Arrive somewhere following a course of action, end up, as in We got lost and wound up in another town altogether , or If you're careless with your bank account, you can wind up overdrawn . [ Colloquial ; early 1900s]
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.
"Paraguay tried to wind up the France players, little shoves and nudges but not enough to get a yellow card," former Scotland winger Pat Nevin told BBC Radio 5 Live.
From BBC • Jul. 5, 2026
No wonder so many Annapolis grads wind up working in government.
From Slate • Jun. 24, 2026
The high volatility during Tuesday’s trading session could wind up being a momentary blip as the hardware-infrastructure buildup to support generative artificial intelligence continues.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 23, 2026
Eventually, all these materials wind up at one of four baling machines that compress them into giant blocks, which then get moved around the facility’s storage area by crew-operated forklifts.
From Barron's • Jun. 17, 2026
If Chico was right, then they’d do this show, become big Broadway stars, and wind up with forever homes.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
