Wind Up (Verb)
Meaning 1
Give a preliminary swing to the arm pitching.
Classification
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming.
Examples
- The pitcher began to wind up, taking a moment to focus on the target.
- Before releasing the ball, the baseball player wound up to generate maximum speed.
- In a slow, deliberate motion, the athlete wound up and launched the heavy ball.
- The coach reminded the new player to wind up with her elbow higher.
- As the crowd held its breath, the pitcher started to wind up for the final pitch.
Meaning 2
Coil the spring of (some mechanical device) by turning a stem; "wind your watch".
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- You need to manually wind up your grandfather's old clock every night before bedtime.
- This toy car will only work if you wind up the spring by turning the small metal key.
- Her grandmother taught her how to wind up the music box to play a soft lullaby.
- To start the timer, you have to wind up the dial on the back of the old alarm clock.
- In order to hear the music, you must wind up the mechanical bird first.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
Meaning 3
Stimulate sexually; "This movie usually arouses the male audience".
Classification
Verbs of feeling.
Examples
- The racy scenes in the film are sure to wind up the audience.
- Her suggestive dance moves are designed to wind up the male spectators.
- The sensual undertones in the novel will likely wind up readers with its provocative content.
- The erotic art on display is meant to wind up visitors and challenge their perceptions.
- The romantic thriller is known to wind up its audience with its passionate love scenes.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
Meaning 4
Finally be or do something; "He ended up marrying his high school sweetheart"; "he wound up being unemployed and living at home again".
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- After years of searching, she wound up buying a house in her hometown.
- The football team wound up losing the championship game in overtime.
- He wound up studying abroad in Europe for two years instead of one.
- She started out as a waitress but wound up owning her own restaurant.
- The family wound up enjoying their vacation despite the initial setbacks.