I. AIR
/wɪnd/
( winds, winding, winded)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
A wind is a current of air that is moving across the earth’s surface.
There was a strong wind blowing...
The leaves rustled in the wind...
N-VAR
2.
Journalists often refer to a trend or factor that influences events as a wind of a particular kind.
The winds of change are blowing across the country...
N-COUNT : N of n
3.
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...
The cow stamped on his side, winding him.
VERB : be V-ed , V n
4.
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.
N-UNCOUNT
5.
The wind section of an orchestra or band is the group of people who produce musical sounds by blowing into their instruments.
ADJ : ADJ n
6.
If someone breaks wind , they release gas from their intestines through their anus.
PHRASE : V inflects
7.
If you get wind of something, you hear about it, especially when someone else did not want you to know about it. ( INFORMAL )
I don’t want the public, and especially not the press, to get wind of it at this stage.
PHRASE : V inflects , PHR n
8.
If you sail close to the wind , you take a risk by doing or saying something that may get you into trouble.
Max warned her she was sailing dangerously close to the wind and risked prosecution.
PHRASE : V inflects
9.
to throw caution to the wind: see caution
II. TURNING OR WRAPPING
/waɪnd/
( winds, winding, wound)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
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...
The convoy wound its way through the West Bank.
...a narrow winding road.
VERB : V prep / adv , V way prep / adv , V-ing
2.
When you wind something flexible around something else, you wrap it around it several times.
The horse jumped forwards and round her, winding the rope round her waist.
VERB : V n prep / adv
3.
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 : V n
•
Wind up means the same as wind .
I wound up the watch and listened to it tick...
Frances took the tiny music box from her trunk and wound it up.
PHRASAL VERB : V P n (not pron) , V n P
4.
To wind a tape or film back or forward means to make it move towards its starting or ending position.
The camcorder winds the tape back or forward at high speed.
VERB : V n adv