wind.
Real or perceived movement of atmospheric air usually caused by convection or differences in air pressure.
Meaning & usage
Real or perceived movement of atmospheric air usually caused by convection or differences in air pressure.
The wind blew through her hair as she stood on the deck of the ship.
As they accelerated onto the motorway, the wind tore the plywood off the car's roof-rack.
Air artificially put in motion by any force or action.
the wind of a cannon ball
the wind of a bellows
The ability to breathe easily.
After the second lap he was already out of wind.
The fall knocked the wind out of him.
News of an event, especially by hearsay or gossip.
to catch wind of something
Steve caught wind of Martha's dalliance with his best friend.
A tendency or trend.
the wind of change
One of the four elements of the ancient Greeks and Romans; air.
One of the five basic elements in Indian and Japanese models of the Classical elements.
Flatus.
to pass wind
Breath modulated by the respiratory and vocal organs, or by an instrument.
The woodwind section of an orchestra. Occasionally also used to include the brass section.
A woodwind instrument. Occasionally also used to describe a brass instrument.
A direction from which the wind may blow; a point of the compass; especially, one of the cardinal points.
the four winds
Types of playing-tile in the game of mah-jongg, named after the four winds.
A disease of sheep, in which the intestines are distended with air, or rather affected with a violent inflammation. It occurs immediately after shearing.
Mere breath or talk; empty effort; idle words.
A bird, the dotterel.
The region of the solar plexus, where a blow may paralyze the diaphragm and cause temporary loss of breath or other injury.
(usually as the wind) Something irrelevant; something that can be explained away.
I don't know, man, must've been the wind.
Ellipsis of wind power (“source of electricity”)
Where this word comes from
From Middle English wynd, wind, from Old English wind (“wind”), from Proto-West Germanic *wind, from Proto-Germanic *windaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wéh₁n̥tos (“wind”), from earlier *h₂wéh₁n̥ts (“wind”), derived from the present participle of *h₂weh₁- (“to blow”). Cognates Cognate with Yola weend, wyeene (“wind”), North Frisian win, winj (“wind”), Saterland Frisian Wíend (“wind”), West Frisian wyn (“wind”), Alemannic German wend, wind, winn, wénn (“wind”), Bavarian bint, Wind (“wind”), Cimbrian and Mòcheno bint (“wind”), Dutch wind (“wind”), German and German Low German Wind (“wind”), Luxembourgish Wand (“wind”), Yiddish ווינט (vint, “wind”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish vind (“wind”), Faroese and Icelandic vindur (“wind”), Gothic 𐍅𐌹𐌽𐌳𐍃 (winds, “wind”), Latin ventus (“wind”), Welsh gwynt (“wind”), Sanskrit वात (vā́ta, “wind”), Russian ве́тер (véter, “wind”), perhaps Albanian bundë (“strong damp wind”). Doublet of athlete, vent, weather and nirvana.
To blow air through a wind instrument or horn to make a sound.
To cause (someone) to become breathless, as by a blow to the abdomen, or by physical exertion, running, etc.
The boxer was winded during round two.
To cause a baby to bring up wind by patting its back after being fed.
To turn a boat or ship around, so that the wind strikes it on the opposite side.
To expose to the wind; to winnow; to ventilate.
To perceive or follow by scent.
The hounds winded the game.
To rest (a horse, etc.) in order to allow the breath to be recovered; to breathe.
To turn a windmill so that its sails face into the wind.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English wynd, wind, from Old English wind (“wind”), from Proto-West Germanic *wind, from Proto-Germanic *windaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wéh₁n̥tos (“wind”), from earlier *h₂wéh₁n̥ts (“wind”), derived from the present participle of *h₂weh₁- (“to blow”). Cognates Cognate with Yola weend, wyeene (“wind”), North Frisian win, winj (“wind”), Saterland Frisian Wíend (“wind”), West Frisian wyn (“wind”), Alemannic German wend, wind, winn, wénn (“wind”), Bavarian bint, Wind (“wind”), Cimbrian and Mòcheno bint (“wind”), Dutch wind (“wind”), German and German Low German Wind (“wind”), Luxembourgish Wand (“wind”), Yiddish ווינט (vint, “wind”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish vind (“wind”), Faroese and Icelandic vindur (“wind”), Gothic 𐍅𐌹𐌽𐌳𐍃 (winds, “wind”), Latin ventus (“wind”), Welsh gwynt (“wind”), Sanskrit वात (vā́ta, “wind”), Russian ве́тер (véter, “wind”), perhaps Albanian bundë (“strong damp wind”). Doublet of athlete, vent, weather and nirvana.
To turn coils (of a cord or something similar) around something.
to wind thread on a spool or into a ball
To tighten the spring of a clockwork mechanism.
Please wind that old-fashioned alarm clock.
To entwist; to enfold; to encircle.
To travel or follow a path with numerous curves.
Vines wind round a pole. The river winds through the plain.
To have complete control over; to turn and bend at one's pleasure; to vary or alter at will; to regulate; to govern.
To introduce by insinuation; to insinuate.
To cover or surround with something coiled about.
to wind a rope with twine
To cause to move by exerting a winding force; to haul or hoist as by a winch.
To turn (a ship) around, end for end.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English wynden, from Old English windan, from Proto-Germanic *windaną. Compare West Frisian wine, Low German winden, Dutch winden, German winden, Danish vinde, Walloon windea. See also the related term wend.
The act of winding or turning; a turn; a bend; a twist.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English wynden, from Old English windan, from Proto-Germanic *windaną. Compare West Frisian wine, Low German winden, Dutch winden, German winden, Danish vinde, Walloon windea. See also the related term wend.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.