The Collaborative International Dictionary
Wind \Wind\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wound (wound) (rarely Winded); p. pr. & vb. n. Winding.] [OE. winden, AS. windan; akin to OS. windan, D. & G. winden, OHG. wintan, Icel. & Sw. vinda, Dan. vinde, Goth. windan (in comp.). Cf. Wander, Wend.]
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To turn completely, or with repeated turns; especially, to turn about something fixed; to cause to form convolutions about anything; to coil; to twine; to twist; to wreathe; as, to wind thread on a spool or into a ball.
Whether to wind The woodbine round this arbor.
--Milton. -
To entwist; to infold; to encircle.
Sleep, and I will wind thee in arms.
--Shak. -
To have complete control over; to turn and bend at one's pleasure; to vary or alter or will; to regulate; to govern. ``To turn and wind a fiery Pegasus.''
--Shak.In his terms so he would him wind.
--Chaucer.Gifts blind the wise, and bribes do please And wind all other witnesses.
--Herrick.Were our legislature vested in the prince, he might wind and turn our constitution at his pleasure.
--Addison. -
To introduce by insinuation; to insinuate.
You have contrived . . . to wind Yourself into a power tyrannical.
--Shak.Little arts and dexterities they have to wind in such things into discourse.
--Gov. of Tongue. -
To cover or surround with something coiled about; as, to wind a rope with twine. To wind off, to unwind; to uncoil. To wind out, to extricate. [Obs.] --Clarendon. To wind up.
To coil into a ball or small compass, as a skein of thread; to coil completely.
To bring to a conclusion or settlement; as, to wind up one's affairs; to wind up an argument.
To put in a state of renewed or continued motion, as a clock, a watch, etc., by winding the spring, or that which carries the weight; hence, to prepare for continued movement or action; to put in order anew. ``Fate seemed to wind him up for fourscore years.''
--Dryden. ``Thus they wound up his temper to a pitch.''
--Atterbury.To tighten (the strings) of a musical instrument, so as to tune it. ``Wind up the slackened strings of thy lute.''
--Waller.
Usage examples of "to wind up".
And it had been so hard to call that number, yet so easy to wind up outside the immense Victorian at nine on a summer night.
Sam wouldn't have wanted to wind up on that guy's bad side, not even a little he wouldn't.
Then, using nothing more than words and thumping heels, he backed the packbeast off its victim and charged back out of the mass to wind up for another run.
You're going to wind up in a loincloth with a homemade spear stalking them in their own element.
You'll have to wind up his thoughts, Dorothy, or else I'll have to finish his story myself.
I seem to wind up here at the bar more nights than not, around this time.
He had a strong feeling, an unshakable feeling that they were all going to wind up dead.