wind

¹

[ noun wind, Literary wahynd; verb wind ]

noun

1. air in natural motion, as that moving horizontally at any velocity along the earth's surface:

   A gentle wind blew through the valley. High winds were forecast.

2. a gale; storm; hurricane.
3. any stream of air, as that produced by a bellows or fan.
4. air that is blown or forced to produce a musical sound in singing or playing an instrument.
5. wind instrument.
6. wind instruments collectively.
7. the winds, the members of an orchestra or band who play the wind instruments.
8. breath or breathing:

   to catch one's wind.

9. the power of breathing freely, as during continued exertion.
10. any influential force or trend:

    strong winds of public opinion.

11. a hint or intimation:

    to catch wind of a stock split.

12. air carrying an animal's odor or scent.
13. solar wind.
14. empty talk; mere words.
15. vanity; conceitedness.
16. gas generated in the stomach and intestines.

    Synonyms: flatulence

17. Boxing Slang. the pit of the stomach where a blow may cause a temporary shortness of breath; solar plexus.
18. any direction of the compass.

verb (used with object)

1. to expose to wind or air.
2. to follow by the scent.
3. to make short of wind or breath, as by vigorous exercise.
4. to let recover breath, as by resting after exertion.

verb (used without object)

1. to catch the scent or odor of game.

wind

²

[ wahynd ]

verb (used without object)

, wound or (Rare) wind·ed [wahyn-did]; wind·ing.

1. to change direction; bend; turn; take a frequently bending course; meander:

   The river winds through the forest.

2. to have a circular or spiral course or direction.
3. to coil or twine about something:

   The ivy winds around the house.

4. to proceed circuitously or indirectly.
5. to undergo winding or winding up.
6. to be twisted or warped, as a board.

verb (used with object)

, wound or (Rare) wind·ed [wahyn-did]; wind·ing.

1. to encircle or wreathe, as with something twined, wrapped, or placed about.
2. to roll or coil (thread, string, etc.) into a ball, on a spool, or the like (often followed by up ).
3. to remove or take off by unwinding (usually followed by off or from ):

   She wound the thread off the bobbin.

4. to twine, fold, wrap, or place about something.
5. to make (a mechanism) operational by tightening the mainspring with a key (often followed by up ):

   to wind a clock; to wind up a toy.

6. to haul or hoist by means of a winch, windlass, or the like (often followed by up ).
7. to make (one's or its way) in a bending or curving course:

   The stream winds its way through the woods.

8. to make (one's or its way) by indirect, stealthy, or devious procedure:

   to wind one's way into another's confidence.

noun

1. the act of winding.
2. a single turn, twist, or bend of something wound:

   If you give it another wind, you'll break the mainspring.

3. a twist producing an uneven surface.

verb phrase

1. 1. to bring to a state of great tension; excite (usually used in the past participle):

      He was all wound up before the game.

   2. to bring or come to an end; conclude:

      to wind up a sales campaign.

   3. to settle or arrange in order to conclude:

      to wind up one's affairs.

   4. to become ultimately:

      to wind up as a country schoolteacher.

   5. Baseball. (of a pitcher) to execute a windup.
2. 1. to lessen in intensity so as to bring or come to a gradual end:

      The war is winding down.

   2. to calm down; relax:

      He's too excited tonight to wind down and sleep.

wind

³

[ wahynd, wind ]

verb (used with object)

, wind·ed [wahyn, -did, win, -did] or wound [wound]; wind·ing [wahyn, -ding, win, -ding].

1. to blow (a horn, a blast, etc.).
2. to sound by blowing.
3. to signal or direct by blasts of the horn or the like.

WInd

⁴

or W.Ind.

1. West Indian.

wind

¹

/ wɪnd /

noun

1. a current of air, sometimes of considerable force, moving generally horizontally from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure See also Beaufort scale aeolian
2. poetic.
   the direction from which a wind blows, usually a cardinal point of the compass
3. air artificially moved, as by a fan, pump, etc
4. any sweeping and destructive force
5. a trend, tendency, or force

   the winds of revolution

6. informal.
   a hint; suggestion

   we got wind that you were coming

7. something deemed insubstantial

   his talk was all wind

8. breath, as used in respiration or talk

   you're just wasting wind

9. (often used in sports) the power to breathe normally See also second wind

   his wind is weak

10. music
    1. a wind instrument or wind instruments considered collectively
    2. often plural the musicians who play wind instruments in an orchestra
    3. modifier of, relating to, or composed of wind instruments

       a wind ensemble

11. an informal name for flatus
12. the air on which the scent of an animal is carried to hounds or on which the scent of a hunter is carried to his quarry
13. between wind and water
    1. the part of a vessel's hull below the water line that is exposed by rolling or by wave action
    2. any point particularly susceptible to attack or injury
14. break wind
    to release intestinal gas through the anus
15. get the wind up or have the wind up informal.
    to become frightened
16. have in the wind
    to be in the act of following (quarry) by scent
17. how the wind blows or how the wind lies or which way the wind blows or which way the wind lies
    what appears probable
18. in the wind
    about to happen
19. three sheets in the wind informal.
    intoxicated; drunk
20. in the teeth of the wind or in the eye of the wind
    directly into the wind
21. into the wind
    against the wind or upwind
22. off the wind
    nautical away from the direction from which the wind is blowing
23. on the wind
    nautical as near as possible to the direction from which the wind is blowing
24. put the wind up informal.
    to frighten or alarm
25. raise the wind informal.
    to obtain the necessary funds
26. sail close to the wind or sail near to the wind
    1. to come near the limits of danger or indecency
    2. to live frugally or manage one's affairs economically
27. take the wind out of someone's sails
    to destroy someone's advantage; disconcert or deflate

verb

1. to cause (someone) to be short of breath

   the blow winded him

2. 1. to detect the scent of
   2. to pursue (quarry) by following its scent
3. to cause (a baby) to bring up wind after feeding by patting or rubbing on the back
4. to expose to air, as in drying, ventilating, etc

wind

²

/ waɪnd /

verb

1. often foll byaround, about, or upon to turn or coil (string, cotton, etc) around some object or point or (of string, etc) to be turned etc, around some object or point

   he wound a scarf around his head

2. tr to twine, cover, or wreathe by or as if by coiling, wrapping, etc; encircle

   we wound the body in a shroud

3. troften foll byup to tighten the spring of (a clockwork mechanism)
4. trfoll byoff to remove by uncoiling or unwinding
5. usually intr to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course

   the river winds through the hills

6. tr to introduce indirectly or deviously

   he is winding his own opinions into the report

7. tr to cause to twist or revolve

   he wound the handle

8. tr; usually foll by up or down to move by cranking

   please wind up the window

9. tr to haul, lift, or hoist (a weight, etc) by means of a wind or windlass
10. intr (of a board, etc) to be warped or twisted
11. archaic.
    intr to proceed deviously or indirectly

noun

1. the act of winding or state of being wound
2. a single turn, bend, etc

   a wind in the river

3. Also calledwinding a twist in a board or plank

wind

³

/ waɪnd /

verb

1. poetic.
   tr to blow (a note or signal) on (a horn, bugle, etc)

wind

/ wĭnd /

1. A current of air, especially a natural one that moves along or parallel to the ground, moving from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure. Surface wind is measured by anemometers or its effect on objects, such as trees. The large-scale pattern of winds on Earth is governed primarily by differences in the net solar radiation received at the Earth's surface, but it is also influenced by the Earth's rotation, by the distribution of continents and oceans, by ocean currents, and by topography. On a local scale, the differences in rate of heating and cooling of land versus bodies of water greatly affect wind formation. Prevailing global winds are classified into three major belts in the Northern Hemisphere and three corresponding belts in the Southern Hemisphere. The trade winds blow generally east to west toward a low-pressure zone at the equator throughout the region from 30° north to 30° south of the equator. The westerlies blow from west to east in the temperate mid-latitude regions (from 30° to 60° north and south of the equator), and the polar easterlies blow from east to west out of high-pressure areas in the polar regions.
2. See also Beaufort scale

Derived Forms

• ˈwindlessly, adverb
• ˈwindless, adjective
• ˈwindlessness, noun
• ˈwindable, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of wind¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English (noun), Old English; cognate with Dutch, German Wind, Old Norse vindr, Gothic winds, Latin ventus

Origin of wind²

First recorded before 900; Middle English winden, Old English windan; cognate with Dutch, German winden, Old Norse vinda, Gothic -windan; akin to wend, wander

Origin of wind³

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English; special use of wind ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of wind¹

Old English wind; related to Old High German wint, Old Norse vindr, Gothic winds, Latin ventus

Origin of wind²

Old English windan; related to Old Norse vinda, Old High German wintan (German winden )

Origin of wind³

C16: special use of wind ¹

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. between wind and water,
   1. (of a ship) at or near the water line.
   2. in a vulnerable or precarious spot:

      In her profession one is always between wind and water.

2. break wind, to expel gas from the stomach and bowels through the anus.
3. how the wind blows / lies, what the tendency or probability is: Also which way the wind blows.

   Try to find out how the wind blows.

4. in the teeth of the wind, sailing directly into the wind; against the wind. Also in the eye of the wind, in the wind's eye.
5. in the wind, about to occur; imminent; impending:

   There's good news in the wind.

6. off the wind,
   1. away from the wind; with the wind at one's back.
   2. (of a sailing vessel) headed into the wind with sails shaking or aback.
7. on the wind, as close as possible to the wind. Also on a wind.
8. out of wind, (of boards, plasterwork, etc.) flat and true.
9. sail close to the wind,
   1. Also sail close on a wind. to sail as nearly as possible in the direction from which the wind is blowing.
   2. to practice economy in the management of one's affairs.
   3. to verge on a breach of propriety or decency.
   4. to escape (punishment, detection, etc.) by a narrow margin; take a risk.
10. take the wind out of one's sails, to surprise someone, especially with unpleasant news; stun; shock; flabbergast:

    She took the wind out of his sails when she announced she was marrying someone else.

11. throw / cast something to the wind(s), to dispense with or relinquish something characteristic of one’s habits or behavior in favor of something uncharacteristic, regardless of the possible consequences:

    I decided to throw caution to the wind and quit my job to become a full-time writer.

More idioms and phrases containing wind

• before the wind
• break wind
• get wind of
• gone with the wind
• ill wind
• in the wind
• like greased lightning (the wind)
• sail close to the wind
• second wind
• something in the wind
• straw in the wind
• take the wind out of one's sails
• three sheets to the wind
• throw caution to the winds
• twist in the wind
• way the wind blows

Synonym Study

Wind, air, zephyr, breeze, blast, gust refer to a quantity of air set in motion naturally. Wind applies to any such air in motion, blowing with whatever degree of gentleness or violence. Air, usually poetical, applies to a very gentle motion of the air. Zephyr, also poetical, refers to an air characterized by its soft, mild quality. A breeze is usually a cool, light wind. Blast and gust apply to quick, forceful winds of short duration; blast implies a violent rush of air, often a cold one, whereas a gust is little more than a flurry.

Example Sentences

High winds broke branches above the water and stripped off their leaves.

From Science News For Students

If those wind patterns themselves stall, slow down dramatically, or change directions rather abruptly, the hurricane will be sort of directionless and it can sit there stalling.

From Popular-Science

That event may take the wind out of the traditional Cyberweek sales if people spend their money early.

From Search Engine Land

When winds from the north dominated, and there was more sea ice, there was less oxygen-18 in the cellulose.

From Science News

Researchers say still don’t know what whipped up this newly discovered wind event.

From Science News For Students

Increasingly, as these industries develop, on-site solar and wind is a way of guaranteeing a lower price for electricity.

From The Daily Beast

One and all, they come shaking their tin cups at election time then run like the wind when a critical vote comes up.

From The Daily Beast

For instance: suppose the Republicans wind up with a clear Senate majority on November 4th.

From The Daily Beast

But as it takes away the safety net, their corpses wind up in fishing nets.

From The Daily Beast

But then they saw which way the post-Citizens United wind was blowing and became anti-disclosure.

From The Daily Beast

There are three things a wise man will not trust: the wind, the sunshine of an April day, and woman's plighted faith.

From Project Gutenberg

But there was a breeze blowing, a choppy, stiff wind that whipped the water into froth.

From Project Gutenberg

The man that giveth heed to lying visions, is like to him that catcheth at a shadow, and followeth after the wind.

From Project Gutenberg

It was a cloudy, stormy evening: high wind was blowing, and the branches of the trees groaned and creaked above our heads.

From Project Gutenberg

The ne'er-do-well blew, like seed before the wind, to distant places, but mankind at large stayed at home.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• curl
• curve
• loop
• meander
• ramble
• slither
• snake
• spiral
• twist
• weave
• wrap
• zigzag