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windup
or wind-up
[ wahynd-uhp ]
/ ĖwaÉŖndĖŹp /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
the conclusion of any action, activity, etc.; the end or close.
a final act or part.
Informal. a mechanical object, as a toy or wristwatch, that is driven by a spring or similar mechanism that must be wound.
an act or instance of winding up.
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Origin of windup
First recorded in 1565ā75; noun use of verb phrase wind up
Words nearby windup
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use windup in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for windup
wind up
/ (waÉŖnd) /
verb (adverb)
noun wind-up
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
Ā© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Ā© HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with windup
wind up
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.
Put in order, settle, as in She had to wind up her affairs before she could move. [Late 1700s]
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]
The American HeritageĀ® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright Ā© 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.