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Irregular verb

The verb to wind

wind → wound → wound

B2Meaning: to wrap something around something; to make a clock work by turning it · Type: irregular

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Key points to remember

  • Present Simple: I/you/we/they wind · he/she/it winds (said /waɪnd/, like find)
  • Past Simple: wound (said /waʊnd/)
  • Past participle: wound (the same)
  • -ing form: winding

Conjugation of the verb to wind

Present Simple

Iwind
Youwind
He / She / Itwinds
Wewind
You (pl.)wind
Theywind

Past Simple

Iwound
Youwound
He / She / Itwound
Wewound
You (pl.)wound
Theywound

How to use to wind

1. Wrapping (thread, rope)

  • She wound the wool around her finger.

2. Winding up a watch or a clock

Wind up a watch or wind up a clock: you turn a small key or button to make it work.

  • I wound up my old watch.

3. Wind up (idiomatic)

Wind up can mean to end up somewhere, often without a plan. In British English, wind someone up also means to tease or annoy them.

  • We wound up at a Mexican restaurant.
  • Stop winding me up!

4. Twisting and turning (a road)

Here wind means to have a lot of bends and turns.

  • The road winds through the hills.

Common mistakes to avoid

1. Winding = with many bends

Winding /ˈwaɪndɪŋ/ is also an adjective. A winding road has a lot of bends and turns. You often see it in texts about travel and geography: The road winds through the hills.

2. Wind down

Wind down means (1) to relax after a busy day, and (2) to open a car window (mostly British English; American English says roll down). I need to wind down after work means I need to relax.

What's next?

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Related pages: wind

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple of wind?+

The verb wind (said /waɪnd/: to wrap something around something) has the Past Simple wound (said /waʊnd/). The past participle is also wound. Wind → wound → wound. It works like find → found and bind → bound.

How do you pronounce wind?+

It depends on the meaning. Wind /wɪnd/ is a noun: moving air. The wind blew all night. Wind /waɪnd/ is a verb: to wrap something, or to turn a small key to make a clock or a watch work. I wind my watch every morning. Same spelling, different sound and meaning: words like this are called homographs.

Is wound the past of wind or a noun?+

Both, with two different sounds. Wound /waʊnd/ is the past of the verb wind: She wound the rope around the tree. Wound /wuːnd/ is a noun that means an injury, like a deep cut: He has a wound on his arm. The context tells you which one it is.

What does wind up mean?+

Wind up has several meanings. (1) To turn a key to make something work: wind up a watch. (2) To end up somewhere, often without a plan: We wound up at a Mexican restaurant. (3) In informal British English, to tease or annoy someone: Stop winding me up! (4) To finish something: Let's wind up the meeting.

What does wind down mean?+

Wind down has three meanings. (1) To relax after work or school: I need to wind down. (2) To open a car window by turning a handle (mostly British English; American English says roll down the window). (3) To become less active, little by little: The business is winding down.

Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →