wind down

verb

wound down also winded down; winding down; winds down

intransitive verb

1

: to draw gradually toward an end

the party was winding down

2

: relax, unwind

wind down with a good book

transitive verb

: to cause a gradual lessening of usually with the intention of bringing to an end

Synonyms

• chill
• chill out [slang]
• de-stress
• decompress
• loosen up
• mellow (out)
• relax
• unwind

Examples of wind down in a Sentence

not being one for alcoholic beverages, I prefer to wind down with a cup of tea every night

Recent Examples on the Web

And when the selling season winds down in the summer and heading into the fall, Nick said home prices will start to drop and erode consumer confidence. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 2 June 2024

Bookbinding! April 27, 2023 Workshops at the Lab are about to wind down for the summer, making the last bronze pour of the day bittersweet. —Angella D’avignon, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2024

Four out of the nine sandwiches had sold out, and the line still showed no signs of winding down. —Meredith Woerner, Variety, 22 May 2024

After long days at the ballpark, most of them head to the dock behind their house and wind down by fishing — or, for some, attempting to fish — during Sarasota’s sunsets. —Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 3 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1952, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1