wind
/wind, (thÔ) waind/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- Moving air: Air in natural motion, especially a current of air blowing from a particular direction.
- Breath or the ability to breathe: The air taken into or expelled from the lungs; the power of respiration.
- Gas in the stomach or intestines: Air swallowed while eating or drinking, or gas produced during digestion.
- Empty or boastful talk: Speech or writing that is pretentious, insincere, or lacks substance.
- A hint or suggestion: An indication of something that is happening or about to happen.
- A musical instrument: An instrument in which sound is produced by a player's breath, such as a flute or trumpet (often used in the plural, 'the winds').
Verb:
- To follow a twisting course: To move or cause to move in a series of curves or bends.
- To wrap or coil something: To encircle or twist something around itself or another object.
- To tighten the mechanism of a clock or device: To turn a key or knob to tighten a spring, as in winding a clock.
- To cause to be out of breath: To make it difficult for someone to breathe, often through exertion.
- To detect by scent: For an animal to perceive a smell in the air.
Examples of Usage
Noun:
- The wind blew the leaves across the yard. (Moving air)
- He was knocked down and lost his wind. (Breath)
- The baby needs to be burped to release the wind. (Gas in the stomach)
- His speech was just a lot of hot wind. (Empty talk)
- I got wind of a possible promotion. (A hint or suggestion)
- She plays the flute in the wind section of the orchestra. (Musical instrument)
Verb:
- The river winds through the valley. (To follow a twisting course)
- Wind the rope around the post to secure it. (To wrap or coil)
- Don't forget to wind the grandfather clock. (To tighten a mechanism)
- The steep hill winded the runners. (To cause to be out of breath)
- The hounds winded the fox and gave chase. (To detect by scent)
Advanced Usage
"To get wind of something": To hear a rumor or piece of information about something secret or private.
- The press got wind of the scandal before it was officially announced.
"To take the wind out of someone's sails": To discourage someone by saying or doing something that deflates their confidence or enthusiasm.
- Her critical comment really took the wind out of his sails.
"To throw caution to the wind(s)": To stop being careful and take a big risk.
- He threw caution to the wind and invested all his savings in the new business.
Variants and Related Words
Windy (adj): Characterized by or exposed to strong wind; also used informally to describe speech that is long-winded or empty.
- It's a windy day on the coast.
- He gave a windy speech that lasted an hour.
Winding (adj/n): Having a twisting or spiral shape; the act of following a twisting course.
- We drove along a winding mountain road.
- The winding of the thread was done carefully.
Windward (adj/adv/n): The side or direction from which the wind is blowing.
- The windward side of the island is more rugged.
Leeward (adj/adv/n): The side or direction sheltered from the wind.
- We anchored in the leeward bay for protection.
Synonyms
- Noun (air): Breeze, gust, draft, gale.
- Noun (breath): Respiration, puff.
- Noun (talk): Bluster, bombast, hot air.
- Verb (twist): Meander, snake, twist, curve.
- Verb (coil): Wrap, twine, loop.
Related Phrasal Verbs
Wind down:
- To gradually reduce in intensity or activity until stopping.
- The company is winding down its operations in the region.
- To relax after a period of work or stress.
- I like to wind down with a book in the evening.
Wind up:
- To bring something to an end; to conclude.
- Let's wind up the meeting by 5 PM.
- To tighten the spring of a device.
- I need to wind up my watch.
- To find yourself in an unexpected (often unpleasant) situation or state.
- If you're not careful, you'll wind up in trouble.
Related Idioms
"Sail close to the wind": To behave in a way that is almost illegal or socially unacceptable.
- His business practices sail very close to the wind.
"See which way the wind is blowing": To try to discover what the general situation is or what people are thinking before taking action.
- Politicians often wait to see which way the wind is blowing before stating their opinion.
"In the wind": Being planned or about to happen, often secretly.
- Big changes are in the wind for the department.
Noun
- the act of winding or twisting
- he put the key in the old clock and gave it a good wind
- a reflex that expels intestinal gas through the anus
- a musical instrument in which the sound is produced by an enclosed column of air that is moved by the breath
- an indication of potential opportunity
- he got a tip on the stock market
- a good lead for a job
- empty rhetoric or insincere or exaggerated talk
- that's a lot of wind
- don't give me any of that jazz
- breath
- the collision knocked the wind out of him
- a tendency or force that influences events
- the winds of change
- air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
- trees bent under the fierce winds
- when there is no wind, row
- the radioactivity was being swept upwards by the air current and out into the atmosphere
Verb
- raise or haul up with or as if with mechanical help
- hoist the bicycle onto the roof of the car
- form into a wreath
- coil the spring of (some mechanical device) by turning a stem
- wind your watch
- catch the scent of; get wind of
- The dog nosed out the drugs
- arrange or or coil around
- roll your hair around your finger
- Twine the thread around the spool
- She wrapped her arms around the child
- extend in curves and turns
- The road winds around the lake
- the path twisted through the forest
- to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course
- the river winds through the hills
- the path meanders through the vineyards
- sometimes, the gout wanders through the entire body