WIND

n. 1 breeze, zephyr, puff, gust, breath, draught, light air, current (of air) A gentle wind wafted our little boat across the bay 2 puffery, bombast, rodomontade, bluster, boasting, braggadocio, vain speech, blather, (idle or empty) talk, fustian, nonsense, twaddle, humbug, babble, gibberish, Colloq gab, hot air, claptrap, hogwash, rot, hooey, boloney, Slang Brit (load of (old)) cobblers I went there for advice and all I got was a lot of wind 3 gas, flatulence, windiness, flatus, borborygmus (= 'stomach rumbling (as from gas)'), heartburn, Taboo slang fart (= 'anal release of gas') I have to take a pill to relieve this wind 4 before the wind. Nautical downwind, off the wind We were racing before the wind with every scrap of sail flying 5 break wind. Taboo slang fart It is considered rude to break wind 6 get or have wind of. hear of, learn of, come to know, pick up, be made or become aware of, gather, understand, hear on the grapevine, Colloq hear tell of We got wind of the company's plans to close this plant 7 get or have the wind up. take fright, become frightened or afraid or apprehensive When I heard a window being raised I got the wind up 8 in the wind. around, about, rumoured, in the air, detectable, discernible, discoverable, imminent, impending, approaching, close (at hand), about to happen or take place or occur, afoot, in the offing, near, on the way, Colloq Brit on the cards, US in the cards We knew that a change was in the wind, but never expected the chairman to resign 9 off the wind. See 5, above. 10 on the or a wind. Nautical upwind, windward, to the wind, into (the teeth or the eye of) the wind; near the wind Because 'Syrena' was a sloop, she could sail closer on the wind than the schooner. 11 put the wind up. scare, frighten, alarm The leakage at the nuclear plant really put the wind up everyone living in the area 12 sail close or near to the wind. take risks, throw caution to the winds, play with fire, skate on thin ice, take (one's) life in (one's) hands, Colloq stick (one's) neck out, Slang go for broke One nude scene is highly salacious, and we think the director is sailing very close to the wind by including it 13 take the wind out of (someone's) sails. deflate (someone), disconcert (someone), destroy (someone's) advantage, ruin (someone's) superiority or supremacy or ascendancy It rather took the wind out of her sails when he announced that he was leaving anyway