An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'wind up', with lots of examples in context
Photo: Pexels
Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them.
This blog post is all about the phrasal verb 'wind up' and covers a range of different meanings from powering clockwork machinery to throwing balls in sport. In this article, I will explain all of the different meanings of 'wind up' to you and provide you with lots of examples of each one in context to help you understand, learn and use them in your English! So, without further ado, let's make a start. Don't forget to leave a comment at the end with your own sentences featuring 'wind up' 😊
WIND UP: KEY INFORMATION
Usage | Common |
Number of meanings | 6 |
Past tense forms | Wound up / wound up |
Separable? | Yes |
Photo: Pexels
THE BASICS
As per usual, let's begin by a quick analysis of the words that make up our phrasal verb of choice, which in this instance are 'wind' and 'up'.
Firstly, we have the verb 'to wind' and before doing anything else, it's important that I clarify here that this is the 'wind' that us pronounced [waɪnd] with a long 'i' sound, making it rhyme with the words 'dined', 'signed' and 'kind' and it's not pronounced like the weather element. The verb 'to wind' is an irregular verb, which primarily means to turn something or make it turn. It is most commonly used with ropes, cables, rotating handles and keys. It is often used in phrasal verbs such as 'wind up, 'wind down' and especially 'wind around'.
Moreover, we also use it in a bit more of a literary way to refer to rivers, roads, paths or people when there are lots of turns and bends in their trajectories or journeys.
John winds the cable around the post.
You need to wind the rope until it becomes tight.
The river wound through the mountains before reaching the ocean.
Debbie wound her way through the crowd at the concert to find her friends.
Next, we have the prepositional particle 'up', which is used in phrasal verb constructions to add the ideas of completion, increase, intensification, improvement and preparation, among others.
Before we move onto the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'wind up', I just want to make you aware of another one, which is more of a literal meaning and refers to the process of winding something so that all of it, or as much as possible of it, is in the wound or coiled position (like in the photo to the right). This is mainly used with physical objects such as cables, ropes and hoses.
After doing his DIY work, Roger wound up the cable to the extension lead and put it away.
Please can you wind the rope up as much as possible when you finish so that it doesn't create a tripping hazard for people.
So, now that we have covered the basics, let's move onto the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'wind up'....
MEANING 1: To make a device operate by turning a part
Photo: Pexels
CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper intermediate |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To wind |
Separable? | Yes |
The first meaning that we will cover in this post is one that is sadly becoming increasingly rare in everyday English and means 'to make a device operate by turning a part'.
Specifically, the devices in question here tend to be clocks, watches, timers and certain toys, whilst the parts that needs to be turned typically include handles or keys. If you haven't already guessed, these are all mechanisms that run on clockwork by what is known as 'wind-up technology', which is a method of creating energy to power a device through energy that is stored in springs when a key or handle is turned. This is normally done simply by turning it several times.
Jamie loves his new toy and all you can hear is him winding it up as he is playing with it.
I forgot to wind up my watch earlier and now it's stopped and I don't know what time it is.
How do you wind up a clock correctly? I've never done it before.
As you can imagine, this form of technology is not seen so much in the modern world as it is slowly being replaced by digital and electronic devices but it is still worth knowing nevertheless!
One more usage that I want to let you know about here is not with a mechanism that runs on clockwork, but rather a car window. I'm sure that many of you will remember a time when it was standard to have a manual crank in a car which had to be turned to open or close the window. To close the car window, you simply had to wind the crank in a specific direction to move the glass panel upwards and consequently 'wind up' also came to be used for this action.
I can't hear what you are saying, can you wind your window up?
The crank has broken and I am unable to wind up the window.
Despite this technology having been superseded mainly by an electronic button meaning that no physical winding action is required, I still hear this being used today!
MEANING 2: To bring something to an end
Photo: Pexels
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To finish, to end, to conclude, to bring to an end, to finish up, to wrap up |
Separable? | Yes |
Our next couple of meanings of 'wind up' are both to do with finishing or terminating something, with this next one being 'to bring something to an end'.
Nouns that this is commonly used with:
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You can see from the list of commonly used nouns above that we use this particular application of 'wind up' with nouns for activities that are organised, often in an official capacity. In particular, many of the nouns are used in reference to business and formal arrangements.
For this application, when we wind something up, we finish or conclude it, however you should note that it tends to be used more when the the conclusion is a gradual process, rather than a sudden or abrupt one. For example, if you decide to wind up a business meeting, you initiate the procedure by summarising the clear points and setting up actions for the next meeting etc, slowly bringing it to a close.
He tried to wind up the interview politely, but the interviewer kept asking more questions.
As the event wound up, the organisers thanked everyone for their participation.
We should wind up this call soon; I don’t want to keep you any longer.
The meeting should wind up around 4 p.m., so we’ll still have time for questions.
MEANING 3: To formally close a company
Photo: Pexels
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | British English |
Potential synonyms | To dissolve, to enter into administration, to liquidate, |
Separable? | Yes |
Let's move onto a more specific application for our third meaning of 'wind up', which is used primarily in British English and means 'to formally close a company'.
Normally, when a company can no longer continue to trade due to financial problems and bankruptcy, it has to be wound up. When this happens, people known as administrators are appointed to begin the process of winding the company up, which involves selling the company's assets to pay off any debts and creditors that they have until it no longer exists. Once this process has been completed, the existence of the company has officially ended.
If you have to use English for work in the business world, you may also be familiar with the synonyms of this application 'to enter / go into administration', 'to liquidate' or 'to dissolve'.
After years of declining profits, the board decided to wind up the company by the end of the fiscal year.
They had no choice but to wind up operations once they filed for bankruptcy.
The non-profit announced that it would wind up its activities due to lack of funding.
The shareholders voted unanimously to wind up the business and distribute the remaining assets.
MEANING 4: To make someone angry or annoyed
Photo: Pexels
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Common |
Where is it used? | British English |
Potential synonyms | To annoy, to anger, to rile, to irritate, to provoke, to infuriate, to madden, to enrage, to tease, to play up |
Separable? | Yes |
I would say that this fourth meaning of 'wind up' that we will cover now is perhaps the most commonly used one and it means 'to make someone angry or annoyed'.
To better understand this concept, we need to go back to the idea from earlier in the post of physically winding something up like a clock etc. Just like winding a clock up creates tension in the springs, causing them to release energy, the buildup of tension in a person's nerves can lead to irritability and eventually losing one's temper over a period of time. This is the origin of this application of 'wind up'.
Although it is possible for something to wind a person up, it is normally another person's behaviour or actions that is responsible for this negative energy. This can be completely innocently, without the "annoying" person being aware, however most of the time we use this application to describe when someone intentionally annoys or angers another person.
Adam loves to wind up his little sister by teasing her about her favourite TV show.
Don't let him wind you up; he's just trying to get a reaction out of you.
Sue knew exactly what would wind Peter up, so she kept making jokes about his team losing.
It really winds me up when people don’t clean up after themselves in the shared kitchen.
On a grammatical level, you will often hear native speakers using the passive forms "to be wound up" and "to get wound up" to describe times when something has annoyed or irritated them in this way and they are feeling angry as a result.
I get wound up when people don't say thank you.
Sorry if I seem a bit tense, I am a bit wound up today as I've just had an argument with my neighbour.
Stay out of Luke's way, he's really wound up about something and is in a very bad mood.
Lastly, in British English, it is also common to use this application of 'wind up' in a more light-hearted way to describe playing a joke on someone, especially by making them believe something that is not true.
Is this true or are you winding me up?
We wound Debbie up and told her that she had to go to work today but of course she had the day off.
MEANING 5: To find yourself in an expected place or situation
Photo: Pexels
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synoynms | To end up, to finish up |
Separable? | No |
If you've read my recent blog post about the phrasal verb 'end up', then this fifth meaning of 'wind up' will seem very familiar to you as it is indeed a synonym of 'end up' and means 'to find yourself in an unexpected situation or place'.
This can be used to describe when you come to be in an unintended situation, place or state, typically as a result of something that you have done or at the end of a series of actions or events.
As with 'end up', it is common to use 'wind up' here with a gerund to state the unplanned action that you find yourself doing....
I always wind up spending more money than I planned when I go shopping.
Tom and Lucy wound up arguing about the same issue they had been trying to avoid.
Andrew winds up working late almost every night during busy season.
We wound up staying at the party much longer than we expected.
Alternatively, we can also use it with prepositions of place or an adjective to specify the unplanned place or state....
If you're not careful, you will wind up in jail.
We took a wrong turn and wound up in the middle of nowhere.
After wandering around for hours, they wound up at a tiny café by the river.
They thought they’d be successful, but they wound up broke after the business failed.
MEANING 6: To prepare to throw a ball
Photo: Pexels
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Rare, specific |
Where is it used? | American English |
Potential synonyms | To pitch |
Separable? | No |
Our sixth and final usage is one that is specific to baseball and consequently, is mainly used in American English.
If you wind up when playing baseball, it means that you prepare to throw the ball by moving your arm into the correct position in order to get enough power to throw it - a little like the spring that we mentioned earlier to release energy. There are different types of throws or pitches in baseball however, and this one is only used (logically) for the windup pitches.
Unless you are a fan of baseball, this usage will probably never be one that you need to learn, however it is always good to have at the back of your mind in case you ever get the opportunity to watch a game!
The baseball player wound up and released the ball with a powerful pitch.
Photo: Pexels
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THE END
I'll wind up in bed in a short while.