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.
Records in Companies House show an attempt was made to wind up the company in March 2022, however, this was blocked for unstated reasons.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Otherwise you could wind up behind the wheel.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
They are open to any and all fans who are prepared to spend a few hours by the side of the course to wind up mere inches from the most talented cyclists on the planet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
In fact, it’s been common in recent years for employers to wind up paying more than they first projected, according to Wardrip.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Now he might wind up someplace even worse than Big Tony’s!
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.
