wind up

British  

/ waɪnd /

verb

1. to bring to or reach a conclusion

   he wound up the proceedings

2. (tr) to tighten the spring of (a clockwork mechanism)

3. informal (tr; usually passive) to make nervous, tense, etc; excite

   he was all wound up before the big fight

4. (tr) to roll (thread, etc) into a ball

5. an informal word for liquidate

6. informal (intr) to end up (in a specified state)

   you'll wind up without any teeth

7. (tr; usually passive) to involve; entangle

   they were wound up in three different scandals

8. (tr) to hoist or haul up

9. slang (tr) to tease (someone)

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noun

1. the act of concluding

2. the finish; end

3. slang an act or instance of teasing

   she just thinks it's a big wind-up

wind up Idioms  

1. 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 .

2. Put in order, settle, as in She had to wind up her affairs before she could move . [Late 1700s]

3. 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]

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Example Sentences

Those worries aren’t going away overnight, and credit woes could wind up hampering economic growth.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

“Eventually we’re going to win this case, and I’m hoping to wind up with Scout,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026

This month’s titles start out strong and wind up even stronger.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

Many of these companies are Nvidia customers, or customers of customers, and a good portion of those investments will wind up in Nvidia’s pockets.

From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026

We are, each of us, largely responsible for what gets put into our brains, for what, as adults, we wind up caring for and knowing about.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

• close
• complete
• conclude
• do
• end up
• finish up
• settle
• wrap up