DEFINITIONnoun 1 the perceptible natural movement of the air, esp. in the form of a current of air blowing from a particulardirection: the wind howled about the building | an easterly wind | gusts of wind.• [ as modifier ] relating to or denoting energy obtained from harnessing the wind with windmills or wind turbines.• used to suggest something very fast, unrestrained, or changeable: run like the wind | she could be as free and easy as the wind.• used in reference to an influence or tendency that cannot be resisted: a wind of change.• used in reference to an impending situation: he had seen which way the wind was blowing.• the rush of air caused by a fast-moving body.• a scent carried by the wind, indicating the presence or proximity of an animal or person.2 breath as needed in physical exertion or in speech.• the power of breathing without difficulty while running or making a similar continuous effort: he waited while Jerry got his wind back.3 empty, pompous, or boastful talk; meaningless rhetoric.• air swallowed while eating or gas generated in the stomach and intestines by digestion.4 air or breath used for sounding an organ or a wind instrument.• (also winds) [ treated as sing. or pl. ] wind instruments, or specifically woodwind instruments, forming a band or a section of an orchestra: concerto for piano, violin, and thirteen winds | [ as modifier ] : wind players.
verb |wind| [ with obj. ]1 cause (someone) to have difficulty breathing because of exertion or a blow to the stomach: the fall nearly winded him.2 detect the presence of (a person or animal) by scent: the birds could not have seen us or winded us.3 |wīnd| ( past and past participle winded |ˈwīndid| or wound |wound| ) literary sound (a bugle or call) by blowing: but scarce again his horn he wound.
PHRASESbefore the wind Sailing with the wind blowing more or less from astern.get wind of informal begin to suspect that (something) is happening; hear a rumor of: Marty got wind of a plot being hatched.[referring originally to the scent of game in hunting.]it's an ill wind that blows no good proverb few things are so bad that no one profits from them.off the wind Sailing with the wind on either quarter.on a wind Sailing against a wind on either bow.put (or have ) the wind up Brit. informal alarm or frighten (or be alarmed or frightened): he was trying to put the wind up him with stories of how hard teaching was.sail close to (or near ) the wind1 Sailing sail as nearly against the wind as possible while still making headway. 2 informal verge on indecency, dishonesty, or disaster.take the wind out of someone's sails frustrate someone by unexpectedly anticipating an action or remark.to the wind ( s )(or the four winds )in all directions: my little flock scatters to the four winds. • so as to be abandoned or neglected: I threw my friends' advice to the winds. [from ‘And fear of death deliver to the winds’(Milton's Paradise Lost).]
DERIVATIVES
windlessadjective
ORIGIN Old English, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch wind and German Wind, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin vents .
Written by NativeEnglish
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