Definition of 'wind'
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present
tense winds
, present participle winding
, past tense, past participle winded
1. variable noun
A wind is a current of air that is moving across the earth's surface.
There was a strong wind blowing.
Then the wind dropped and the surface of the sea was still.
The leaves rustled in the wind.
During the night a gust of wind had blown the pot over.
2. countable noun
The winds of change are blowing across the country. [+ of]
The world's entire aerospace industry is feeling the chill winds of recession.
3. verb
If you are winded by something such as a blow, the air is suddenly knocked out of your lungs so that you have difficulty breathing for a short time.
He was winded and shaken. [be VERB-ed]
The cow stamped on his side, winding him. [VERB noun]
4. uncountable noun
Wind is the air that you sometimes swallow with food or drink, or gas that is produced in your intestines, which causes an uncomfortable feeling.
5. verb
If you wind a baby, you hit its back gently in order to help it to release air from its stomach.
[British, informal] If he cries when you put him down after a feed, try winding him. [VERB noun]
regional note: in AM, use burp 6. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
The wind section of an orchestra or band is the group of people who produce musical sounds
by blowing into their instruments.
7.
See to break wind
8.
9.
See in the wind
10.
11.
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word forms: 3rd person singular present
tense winds
, present participle winding
, past tense, past participle wound
1. verb
If a road, river, or line of people winds in a particular direction, it goes in that direction with a lot of bends or twists in it.
The Moselle winds through some 160 miles of tranquil countryside. [VERB preposition/adverb]
The road winds uphill. [VERB preposition/adverb]
The procession wound its way downhill. [VERB noun preposition/adverb]
...a narrow winding road. [VERB-ing]
2. verb
The horse jumped forwards and round her, winding the rope round her waist. [VERB noun preposition/adverb]
3. verb
When you wind a mechanical device, for example a watch or a clock, you turn a knob, key, or handle on it several times in order to make it operate.
I still hadn't wound my watch so I didn't know the time. [VERB noun]
Wind up means the same as wind2.
I wound up the watch and listened to it tick. [VERB PARTICLE noun]
Frances took the tiny music box from her trunk and wound it up. [VERB noun PARTICLE]
4. verb
To wind a tape or film back or forward means to make it move towards its starting or ending position.
Now wind the film forward to what will happen if the next government doesn't solve
the problem. [VERB noun adverb]
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of
wind
Word Frequency
wind in British English 1
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 ▶ Related adjective: aeolian4.
any sweeping and destructive force
10. music
a.
a wind instrument or wind instruments considered collectively
c. (modifier)
of, relating to, or composed of wind instruments
a wind ensemble
11. an informal name for flatus
12.
13. See between wind and water
14. See break wind
15. See get the wind up
16. See have in the wind
17. See how the wind blows
18. See in the teeth of the wind
19. See in the wind
20. See into the wind
21. See off the wind
22. See on the wind
23. See put the wind up
24. See raise the wind
25. See sail close to the wind
27. See three sheets to the wind
verb (transitive)
28.
to cause (someone) to be short of breath
the blow winded him
31.
to expose to air, as in drying, ventilating, etc
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
windless (ˈwindless) adjective
windlessly (ˈwindlessly)
adverb
windlessness (ˈwindlessness)
noun
Word origin
Old English wind; related to Old High German wint, Old Norse vindr, Gothic winds, Latin ventusWord Frequency
wind in British English 2
verbWord forms: winds, winding or wound
1. (often foll by around, 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. (transitive)
we wound the body in a shroud
5. (usually intr)
the river winds through the hills
6. (transitive)
to introduce indirectly or deviously
he is winding his own opinions into the report
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
windable (ˈwindable) adjective
Word origin
Old English windan; related to Old Norse vinda, Old High German wintan (German winden)
Word Frequency
wind in American English 1
verb transitiveWord forms: wound or Rareˈwinded, ˈwinding
1.
a.
to turn, or make revolve
to wind a crank
b.
to move by or as if by cranking
2.
a.
to turn or coil (string, ribbon, etc.) around itself to form a ball or around something else so as to encircle it
closely; twine; wreathe
winding the bandage on his finger
b.
to wrap or cover by encircling with something turned in the manner of a coil; entwine
to wind a spool with thread
3.
a.
to make (one's way) in a winding or twisting course
b.
to cause to move in a winding or twisting course
verb intransitive
7.
to move, go, or extend in a curving, zigzagging, or sinuous manner; meander
8.
to double on one's track, so as to throw off pursuers
9.
10.
to insinuate oneself
11.
to coil, twine, or spiral (about or around something)
12.
to warp or twist
said of wood13.
to undergo winding
a watch that winds easily
noun
14.
the act of winding
15.
a single turn of something wound
16.
a turn; twist; bend
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
ME winden < OE windan, akin to ON vinda, Ger winden < IE base *wendh-, to turn, wind, twist > Arm gind, a ring
Word Frequency
wind in American English 2
noun
1.
air in motion
; specif.,a.
any noticeable natural movement of air parallel to the earth's surface
b.
air artificially put in motion, as by an air pump or fan
2.
3.
the direction from which a wind blows
now chiefly in the four winds, with reference to the cardinal points of the compass4.
a natural current of air regarded as a bearer of odors or scents, as in hunting
to lose (the) wind of the fox
5.
figuratively, air regarded as bearing information, indicating trends, etc.
a rumor that's in the wind
6.
breath or the power of breathing
to get the wind knocked out of one
8.
gas in the stomach or intestines; flatulence
9.
a. [pl.]
the wind instruments of an orchestra, or the players of these instruments
b.
any of such instruments
verb transitive
10.
to expose to the wind or air, as for drying; air
11.
to get or follow the scent of; scent
12.
to cause to be out of breath
to be winded by a long run
13.
to rest (a horse, etc.) so as to allow recovery of breath
Idioms:
SYNONYMY NOTE: wind2 is the general term for any natural movement of air, whether of high or low velocity
or great or little force; , breeze1 is popularly applied to a light, fresh wind and, meteorologically, to a wind having
a velocity of from 4 to 31 miles an hour; , gale1 is popularly applied to a strong, somewhat violent wind and, meteorologically, to
a wind having a velocity of from 32 to 63 miles an hour; , gust1, blast apply to sudden, brief winds, , gust1 suggesting a light puff, and , blast a driving rush, of air; , zephyr is a poetic term for a soft, gentle breezeWebster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
ME < OE, akin to ON vindr, Ger wind < IE *wentos (> L ventus) < base *we-, *awe-, to blow > weatherWord Frequency
wind in American English 3
verb transitive, verb intransitiveWord forms: wound or Rareˈwinded, ˈwinding OLD-FASHIONED, Poetic
1.
to blow (a horn, etc.)
2.
to sound (a signal, etc.), as on a horn
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
Early ModE < wind2Word Frequency
WInd in American English
West Indian
Also: W.Ind.Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Examples of 'wind' in a sentence
wind
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content.Read more…
Quotations
It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good
Word lists with
wind
Weather phenomenaQuick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
Which weather phenomena am I?
the pressure exerted by the atmosphere at the earth's surface. It has an average value of 1 atmosphere
Which weather phenomena am I?
a mass of water or ice particles visible in the sky, usually white or grey, from which rain or snow falls when the particles coagulate
Which weather phenomena am I?
partly melted falling snow or hail or (esp US) partly frozen rain
Which weather phenomena am I?
rain, snow, sleet, dew, etc, formed by condensation of water vapour in the atmosphere
Your score:
More idioms containing
wind
Trends of
wind
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In other languages
wind
- American English: wind /ˈwɪnd/
- Arabic: رِيح
- Brazilian Portuguese: vento
- Chinese: 风
- Croatian: vjetar
- Czech: vítr
- Danish: vind
- Dutch: wind
- European Spanish: viento
- Finnish: tuuli
- French: vent
- German: Wind
- Greek: άνεμος
- Italian: vento
- Japanese: 風
- Korean: 바람
- Norwegian: vind
- Polish: wiatr
- European Portuguese: vento
- Romanian: vânt
- Russian: ветер
- Latin American Spanish: viento
- Swedish: vind blåst
- Thai: ลม
- Turkish: rüzgar
- Ukrainian: вітер
- Vietnamese: gió
British English: wind
/wɪnd/ VERB
cause to have difficulty breathing If you are winded by something, you have difficulty breathing for a short time.
Two kicks in the stomach winded him.
- American English: wind /ˈwaɪnd, ˈwɪnd/
- Arabic: يَهْوي
- Brazilian Portuguese: ficar sem ar
- Chinese: 绕
- Croatian: zadihati
- Czech: zadýchat se
- Danish: tabe pusten/slå pusten ud
- Dutch: buiten adem zijn klos/klok/spoel
- European Spanish: dejar sin respiración
- Finnish: saada hengästymään
- French: couper le souffle
- German: winden
- Greek: κουρδίζω
- Italian: avvolgere
- Japanese: 巻く
- Korean: 감다
- Norwegian: vikle
- Polish: nawinąć
- European Portuguese: enrolar
- Romanian: a tăia respirația
- Russian: заводить
- Latin American Spanish: dejar sin aire
- Swedish: vrida
- Thai: ทำให้หายใจไม่ออก
- Turkish: esmek rüzgar
- Ukrainian: викликати затримку дихання
- Vietnamese: làm cho khó thở
- American English: wind /ˈwaɪnd/
- Arabic: يَتَلَوَّى
- Brazilian Portuguese: girar
- Chinese: 蜿蜒
- Croatian: zavijati
- Czech: vinout seřeka
- Danish: sno sig
- Dutch: bochten maken
- European Spanish: serpentear
- Finnish: mutkitella
- French: serpenter chemin
- German: sich winden
- Greek: στρίβω
- Italian: attorcigliarsi
- Japanese: 曲がる
- Korean: 구불구불하다
- Norwegian: snirkle
- Polish: wić się
- European Portuguese: serpentear
- Romanian: a face meandre
- Russian: петлять
- Latin American Spanish: serpentear
- Swedish: svänga
- Thai: คดเคี้ยว
- Turkish: kıvrılmak
- Ukrainian: витися
- Vietnamese: rẽ ngoặt
British English: wind
/waɪnd/ VERB
wrap When you wind something long around something, you wrap it around several times.
She wound the rope around her waist.
- American English: wind /ˈwaɪnd/
- Arabic: يَلُفُّ
- Brazilian Portuguese: enrolar
- Chinese: 盘绕
- Croatian: omatati
- Czech: omotat
- Danish: sno
- Dutch: opwinden
- European Spanish: enrollar
- Finnish: kietoa
- French: enrouler
- German: wickeln
- Greek: τυλίγω
- Italian: avvolgere
- Japanese: ･･･を巻く
- Korean: 감다
- Norwegian: binde
- Polish: zawijać
- European Portuguese: enrolar
- Romanian: a înfășura
- Russian: обмотать
- Latin American Spanish: enrollar
- Swedish: linda
- Thai: พัน
- Turkish: sarmak
- Ukrainian: обмотувати
- Vietnamese: gói lại
Nearby words of
wind
Source
Definition of wind from theCollins English Dictionary
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