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

The biggest losers in this college sports free-for-all, however, may wind up being taxpayers.

From The Wall Street Journal

The iconic NFL franchise is searching for a new home—and it could wind up across the border in an entirely new state.

From The Wall Street Journal

Gartner predicts half of the companies that replace humans with bots in these positions will wind up rehiring people by next year.

From The Wall Street Journal

They were winding up the holiday when his platinum ring slipped off his finger.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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