wind down

as intruce
as inkick back
as inlessen
as inreduce
as inrest
as inslow
as intaper/taper off
as interminate
as inunwind
as inwane
as in
as intaper
as inclose

Synonyms for wind down

MOST RELEVANT

Antonyms for wind down

Word Origin & History

"air in motion," Old English wind, from Proto-Germanic *wendas (cf. Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Middle Dutch, Dutch wind, Old Norse vindr, Old High German wind, German Wind, Gothic winds), from PIE *we-nt-o- "blowing," from root *we- "to blow" (cf. Sanskrit va-, Greek aemi-, Gothic waian, Old English wawan, Old High German wajan, German wehen, Old Church Slavonic vejati "to blow;" Sanskrit vatah, Avestan vata-, Hittite huwantis, Latin ventus, Old Church Slavonic vetru, Lithuanian vejas "wind;" Lithuanian vetra "tempest, storm;" Old Irish feth "air;" Welsh gwynt, Breton gwent "wind").

Normal pronunciation evolution made this word rhyme with kind and rind (Donne rhymes it with mind), but it shifted to a short vowel 18c., probably from influence of windy, where the short vowel is natural. A sad loss for poets, who now must rhyme it only with sinned and a handful of weak words. Symbolic of emptiness and vanity since late 13c.

Meaning "breath" is attested from late Old English; especially "breath in speaking" (early 14c.), so long-winded, also "easy or regular breathing" (early 14c.), hence second wind in the figurative sense (by 1830), an image from the sport of hunting.

Figurative phrase which way the wind blows for "the current state of affairs" is suggested from c.1400. To get wind of "receive information about" is by 1809, perhaps inspired by French avoir le vent de. To take the wind out of (one's) sails in the figurative sense (by 1883) is an image from sailing, where a ship without wind can make no progress. Wind-chill index is recorded from 1939. Wind energy from 1976. Wind vane from 1725.

Example Sentences for wind down

By the time we wind down into the valley of the Lot night has overtaken us.

But a wind down the side streets cut like a knife, didn't it?

“We shall have the wind down upon us presently,” he observed to Hawke.

Bring the ship on a wind—down with the helm—brace up the yards!

There was a prolonged dismal whistle of the wind down the chimney.

The storm was over and the wind down, and there was a frost on the ground.

And therewith she turned about and fled like the wind down the stream.

There came a whiff of wind down the street just as she came out.

He would rather have been cutting the wind down the valley slope.

It was about midnight to judge by the moon—clear of snow and the wind down.

wind down

catching breath

close

kick back

lessen

lessened

wind down

More words related to wind down

catch one's breath

catching breath

close

kick back

lessen

lessened