wind up
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wind up
- /waɪnd ˈʌp/
noun wind ups
- Alternative form of wind-up
verb winds up · winding up · wound up
- To wind (rope, string, mainsprings, etc.) completely. I wound up the spool of rope.
- To put (a clock, watch, etc.) in a state of renewed or continued motion by winding the spring or other energy-storage mechanism. I wound up the clock.
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To tighten (someone or something) by winding or twisting.
The movie wound me up emotionally.
Similar: bind, cinch, brace, clench, constrict, squeeze, tighten, taughten, tauten, tense
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To excite.
Try not to wind up the kids too much right before bedtime.
Similar: gin up, stimulate, work up, animate, awaken, electrify, enflame, enkindle, enthrill, exagitate, excite, exhilarate
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To upset; to anger or distress.
Of all their regrets, it was their inability to score an away goal that might wind up Klopp the most. Sadio Mané wasted a glorious chance in the first half and, late on, Mohamed Salah turned his shot against a post after a goal-line clearance had spun his way.
Similar: burn up, get up, get someone's back up, rile up, aggravate, annoy, nettle, rankle, ruffle, sting, burn someone's ass, antagonize
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To roll up (a car window or well bucket, etc., by cranking).
Wind up your window — it's starting to rain.
Similar: roll up, raise · Opposite: wind down, roll down, lower
- To end up; to arrive or result. Mess around with drugs and wind up broke.
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To increase (in some aspect).
Now, things got even more confusing. Farenholt and Laffey hadn't spotted the incoming Japanese Navy vessels, and were winding up to full speed to more-quickly bypass the cruisers. Duncan, of course, could see the radar contacts to its starboard, and so assumed that this increase in speed by its comp
Similar: go up, shoot up, accelerate, accrue, aggrandize, augment, embiggen, enhance, enlarge, greaten, grow, heighten
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To conclude, complete, or finish (something).
Even though he had bad news, he tried to wind up his speech on a positive note.
Similar: round off, absolve, complete, conclude, consummate, discontinue, do, end, finalize, finish, fullcome, get through
- To dissolve (a partnership or corporation) and liquidate its assets.
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To play a prank (on); to take the mickey (out of) or mock.
Twenty quid? Are you winding me up?
Similar: pull one's leg, take for a ride, befool, chaff, disparage, forgab, frump, gleek, jape, jeer, jibe, josh
- To make the preparatory movements for a certain kind of pitch. Paige seemed to be winding up for a fastball but then switched it up.
Translations
Every language
verb 4. to excite
| Português | animar, excitar |
|---|---|
| Русский | раззадоривать razzadorivatʹ |
verb 9. to conclude, complete, or finish
| 한국어 | 종식되다 jongsikdoeda |
|---|---|
| Português | terminar, concluir |
| Français | conclure, terminer, achever |
| Deutsch | beschließen |
verb 10. to dissolve a partnership or corporation and liquidate its assets
| Français | liquider, terminer |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | auflösen |
verb 11. to play a prank, to take the mickey or mock
| Español | tomar el pelo |
|---|---|
| Português | pregar uma peça |
| Français | se moquer, vanner |
| Deutsch | aufziehen |
Talk about this word "wind up." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/wind%20up. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. wind up. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/wind%20up "wind up." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/wind%20up.Cite this
@misc{wind_up_2026,
title = {wind up},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/wind%20up},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
