Wind Up in a Sentence: Meanings, Grammar & Examples

Wind up is a phrasal verb that means to bring something to a close, to end up in a situation, or, in British speech, to tease someone. To use wind up in a sentence, check the sense first: “We wound up the meeting at noon”, “She wound up living abroad.” The past tense is wound, not winded.

Wind up at a glance

• Wind up is a phrasal verb whose senses include conclude, end up, tease, and turn a mechanism.
• It is separable in the conclude sense: wind up the meeting or wind the meeting up.
• The end-up sense is followed by an -ing form, as in wind up living abroad.
• The past tense of this verb is wound up, never winded up.
• The tease sense is chiefly British and informal; avoid it in formal writing.

What does wind up mean?

Wind up has four working senses, and their grammars differ enough that the sense must be settled first. The Cambridge entry for wind up lists the concluding sense and the end-up sense; the table adds the teasing sense and the mechanical one.

Two limits deserve a note. Wind up does not mean to relax; the opposite movement is wind down, which is why the two are so easy to swap. The tease sense is also regional and informal, so it can read as slang in business or academic writing.

How do you use wind up in a sentence?

Wind up is transitive in the conclude and tease senses, but the end-up sense takes an -ing form rather than a noun object. The table also shows where the object may sit; readers often meet finish up in the same position when a task simply ends.

Wind up in a sentence: examples across contexts

The examples below move from a manager closing a meeting to a clock being set, and each one fixes the sense before the grammar. To conclude a discussion is the neutral way to say the first group.

Wind up vs wind down

Wind up and wind down share the verb wind but point in opposite directions, which is why learners mix them. The table separates them.

Verdict: use wind up to end something or to end up somewhere, and wind down to slow activity or relax; the two are near-opposites despite the shared verb.

Word forms and grammar of wind up

The verb changes its vowel in the past tense, and the hyphenated noun is a different part of speech. The table also lists the past form learners invent by mistake, and the related outcome verb result that the end-up sense often implies.

Common mistakes with wind up

• Incorrect: We winded up the meeting early. Correct: We wound up the meeting early. Rule: the past tense of wind is wound, not winded.
• Incorrect: She wound up to run the whole department. Correct: She wound up running the whole department. Rule: the end-up sense takes an -ing form, never to plus a verb.
• Incorrect: The shop wound up slowly before closing. Correct: The shop wound down slowly before closing. Rule: wind down reduces activity; wind up brings it to an end.
• Incorrect: He wound up the joke on his sister. Correct: He wound his sister up with the joke. Rule: the tease sense takes the person as the object, not the joke.
• Incorrect: Please wind up the meeting up. Correct: Please wind up the meeting. Rule: the object goes after the whole phrase or between the parts, never both.

Practice using wind up

Work through the six items, then check the reason beside each answer.

1. Fill the gap: The chair decided to ______ the debate before lunch.
2. Choose the better phrase: The factory will (wind up / wind down) its night shift over three months.
3. Correct the error: We winded up paying for the whole meal.
4. Build a sentence: use wind up + -ing about missing a bus and walking home.
5. Spot the register: which suits a business report – the scheme was wound up, or the joke was a wind-up?
6. Rewrite with the object inside: The manager wound up the session. Put the session between wind and up.

Answers

1. wind up – the conclude sense takes the debate as its object.
2. wind down – the activity reduces gradually, so wind down is the accurate choice.
3. We wound up paying for the whole meal – the end-up sense uses the past wound plus an -ing form.
4. Model answer: We wound up walking home in the rain.
5. the scheme was wound up – a report uses the conclude sense, not the informal tease noun.
6. The manager wound the session up – the object sits between verb and particle.

The bottom line

Use wind up in a sentence only after you have fixed the sense, because conclude, end up and tease each demand different grammar. The two rules that decide most sentences are the past tense and the -ing form: the verb becomes wound, never winded, and the end-up sense is followed by an -ing form rather than to. Keep the British tease sense out of formal writing, and remember that tease is its neutral synonym.

Frequently asked questions about wind up

What is the past tense of wind up?

The past tense is wound up, as in we wound up the meeting early. The form winded up is a common error and is not standard English. Note that wound here rhymes with found, which is different from the wound that means an injury.

What does wind up doing mean?

Wind up doing something means to end up doing it, usually without planning. The pattern takes an -ing form, as in we wound up walking home. It reports a result rather than an intention, and it often carries a note of mild surprise.

Is wind up the same as wind down?

No, they point in opposite directions. Wind up means to bring something to a close or to tighten a mechanism. Wind down means to reduce activity gradually or to relax, as in the factory wound down its night shift. Sharing the verb wind is the only thing they have in common.

Is wind up formal or informal?

The conclude and end-up senses are neutral and appear in reports and news writing. The tease sense is chiefly British and informal, so a business document should avoid it. Choose the sense, then judge the register: only the teasing use sounds casual.

Have you ever found yourself unsure of how to properly use the phrase “wind up” in a sentence? Let’s clarify this commonly misunderstood expression. “Wind up” means to finish or end up in a particular situation or place, often unexpectedly.

When you use “wind up” in a sentence, you are describing the result or consequence of a series of actions or events. It can indicate how something concludes or where someone eventually finds themselves.

7 Examples Of Wind Up Used In a Sentence For Kids

1. The toy car can wind up and zoom around the room.
2. We can wind up the music box to hear a pretty song.
3. Let’s see how fast the top can wind up with a twist.
4. The clock needs a key to wind up and show the right time.
5. Can you wind up the string tightly on the kite?
6. I love watching the robot wind up and walk on its own.
7. Remember to wind up your watch before you go to bed.

14 Sentences with Wind Up Examples

• Don’t forget to wind up your presentation with a strong conclusion.
• We should wind up the meeting quickly so everyone can head to their next class.
• Make sure to wind up your study session on time to get enough rest for the exam.
• Let’s wind up our group project before the deadline to avoid any last-minute rush.
• It’s important to wind up your internship with a formal thank you email to your supervisor.
• Don’t forget to wind up your essay with a clear thesis statement to summarize your main points.
• We should wind up our study group meeting on a positive note to keep the motivation going.
• It’s time to wind up the semester and start preparing for the upcoming exams.
• Make sure to wind up your internship report with a reflection on your overall experience.
• Let’s wind up our group discussion before the bell rings for the next lecture.
• We should wind up our research project by compiling all the data and findings.
• Don’t forget to wind up your internship presentation with a call to action for potential sponsors.
• It’s important to wind up the extracurricular activities on campus to focus on upcoming exams.
• Let’s wind up the debate club meeting with a vote on the next topic of discussion.

How To Use Wind Up in Sentences?

Wind up is a phrasal verb that can have multiple meanings, so it’s important to understand its context in order to use it correctly in a sentence.

One common usage of wind up is to mean to conclude or finish something. For example, “Let’s wind up the meeting before lunchtime.”

Another way wind up can be used is to mean to find oneself in a particular situation, usually unexpectedly or unintentionally. For instance, “I didn’t plan to wind up at this restaurant, but I’m glad I did because the food is delicious.”

It’s also important to note that wind up can mean to tighten a mechanism by turning a key or handle. For instance, “Don’t forget to wind up the clock before going to bed.”

In some regions, wind up can even mean to annoy or tease someone, such as “Stop trying to wind up your sister, she’s getting really frustrated.”

By understanding the different contexts in which wind up can be used, you’ll be able to incorporate this phrase effectively into your conversations. Practicing using it in various contexts will help you become more comfortable with its different meanings and applications.

Conclusion

In conclusion, sentences with “wind up” typically refer to the eventual outcome or result of a situation. They are commonly used to convey the final or concluding event in a series of actions or events. For instance, “After the long day of hiking, we ended up at the mountain peak to watch the sunset” shows how the phrase is used to signify the conclusion of the hiking trip.

These types of sentences are straightforward and help to provide clarity about the eventual outcome. By using “wind up,” writers can succinctly express the final destination or resolution of a narrative, making it easier for readers to follow the progression of events in a story or discussion.