WOUND UP Synonyms: 64 Similar and Opposite Words

wound up

verb

variants also winded up

past tense of wind up

as in ended

to bring (an event) to a natural or appropriate stopping point try to wind up the performance, as we're almost out of time

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in stopped

to come to an end her speeches usually wind up with one last joke

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of wound up Three of his downfield passes wound up caught, two by his teammates, and one for an interception. — Ben Gretch, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 By the time Fly entered the booth, they were wound up and thronging the dancefloor. — Stephen Deusner, SPIN, 25 Aug. 2026 Biehn filmed a scene for the sequel after previously playing John’s father, Kyle Reese, a soldier from the future, but the footage wound up on the cutting room floor. — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Aug. 2026 But Cigar, at odds of 1-10, got caught up in a speed duel and wound up losing to a 39-1 long shot named Dare and Go. — Jay Posner, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026 Another person familiar with the event said that organizers had wound up deciding to focus it solely on crypto. — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 19 Aug. 2026 Travis wound up in frigid Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge. — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Aug. 2026 The Lanterns premiere ends with no context for how Hal wound up on those bleachers or why his ring didn’t go to John. — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026 Cunningham, who rushed at her in response and wound up to strike Carrington before being restrained by her teammates, was not penalized. — Kase Wickman, Vanity Fair, 12 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wound up

Verb

The city experienced a recent peak of 719 homicides in 2022, a year before Johnson took office, and ended last year with 416, according to Chicago police statistics.

— Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
This is one family’s experience of their last year in Connecticut after major hospitals abruptly ended gender-affirming medical care for trans youth.

— Dr. SJ Job, Hartford Courant, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of ended

Verb

Group argued construction could be irreversible The National Trust for Historic Preservation, which is challenging the ballroom, had told the justices that the project would likely become irreversible unless it is stopped now.

— Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
Bilt, for its part, said the issue had to do with an earlier iteration of its credit cards that had stopped accepting customers.

— Andy Kroll, ProPublica, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of stopped

Verb

The Rattlers finished 4-4 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play in 2025, just two seasons removed from winning the Celebration Bowl and a Black college football national championship.

— John Devine, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2026
Bullock finished off her look with black strappy sandal heels and Jessica McCormack pendant necklaces.

— Lara Walsh, InStyle, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of finished

Verb

Well, yeah, those ACA enhancements that were originated during the pandemic, those actually expired at the end of this past year.

— Dana Taylor, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
And Turkey's 25-year gas import contract with Iran expired at the end of July, with no successor long-term deal announced.

— Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of expired

Verb

At least 15 babies and children from the faith-healing sect died between 2015 and 2025 from illnesses that doctors could have successfully treated, the experts concluded.

— Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2026
Kirk Heilbrun, a forensic psychologist who evaluated Clancy in April, concluded his testimony Tuesday, testifying that Clancy was suffering from a form of bipolar disorder, but could still appreciate that killing her children was wrong.

— Melina Khan, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of concluded

Verb

According to Reuters, Qalibaf, the Iranian parliament speaker, said that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until military threats ceased and sanctions on Iran were lifted.

— Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
History repeats itself Following the decline of prisoner importation in the early 20th century, West Virginia ceased to receive direct federal payments for housing prisoners.

— Ella Siegrist, The Conversation, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of ceased

Verb

Furious season 1 wrapped up the case as Alice arrested Catherine at Jay Easton’s (Peter McRobbie) house — the site where Catherine and her friend Isabel (Larissa Campos) were abused.

— Kelly Allen, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026
Smith and the Pacers wrapped up summer league play on July 18, meaning Smith stood by for one day shy of a full month before inking his first NBA contract.

— Tony East, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of wrapped up

Verb

Today, a federal court halted it before this administration could wreak havoc on our elections.

— Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
The near miss raised questions about why the commercial flight was cleared for takeoff while Marine One was preparing to depart, a period when airline traffic is typically halted around presidential helicopter operations.

— Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of halted

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wounds

wound up

wove

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“Wound up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wound%20up. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of wound up

verb

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