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

The next several scenes begin to wind down the finale with a long montage of scenes that illustrate what happens to many of the doctors in the years to come. —Jp Mangalindan, Peoplemag, 22 May 2024

As the exhaustive interview began to wind down, Peisner alleged Rock blocked his attempts to leave, writing that the musician insisted on playing YouTube video after YouTube video. —EW.com, 20 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1952, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1