A tightly wound up spring powered the model train.
The trustees wound up the estate after paying its debts.
The kids got wound up during the fireworks.
They took the wrong bus and wound up downtown.
I wound up paying for dinner after all.
Similar words
ended
primed
finished
dissolved
tightened
finished
needled
resulted
baited
edgy
Meanings
Tense or overexcited
emotion
informal
In a state of tight nervous energy, anger, or excitement.
Usage
Use wound up for a person or group that is tense, angry, or too excited to settle.
Examples
She was too wound up to sleep after the argument.
The kids got wound up during the fireworks.
He sounded wound up before the hearing.
Everyone was still wound up after the close game.
A quiet walk helped me feel less wound up.
Common mistakes
Wounded up confuses the phrase with the injury word wounded.
Incorrect
Correct
I was wounded up before the interview.
I was wound up before the interview.
She was wound up of the exam.
She was wound up about the exam.
The cable was wound up in a blanket.
The cable was wrapped up in a blanket.
Similar words
tense
anxious
nervous
edgy
agitated
worked up
End in a result
everyday
informal
To arrive at a place, state, or result after events have played out, often unexpectedly.
Usage
Use wound up before a place, state, or -ing form when the final result matters more than the route.
Examples
They took the wrong bus and wound up downtown.
I wound up paying for dinner after all.
The story wound up on the front page.
He wound up as the team's captain.
Without a map, we wound up miles from the trail.
Common mistakes
Wound up to is not the normal pattern for a final place or result.
Incorrect
Correct
We wound up to a tiny hotel by the lake.
We wound up in a tiny hotel by the lake.
He wound up to miss the train.
He wound up missing the train.
They winded up broke after the trip.
They wound up broke after the trip.
Similar words
ended up
landed
finished
arrived
resulted
Bring to an end
work
neutral
To finish a speech, meeting, performance, or process by bringing it to a close.
Usage
Use wound up when an activity was deliberately finished, especially after its final point or action.
Examples
The host wound up the ceremony with a short thank-you.
We wound up the discussion before lunch.
The band wound up the show with its biggest hit.
She wound up her report by naming the next steps.
The class wound up with a quick quiz.
Common mistakes
Wound down suggests gradual slowing, while wound up marks the finish.
Incorrect
Correct
The chair wound down the meeting with a vote.
The chair wound up the meeting with a vote.
We wounded up the workshop early.
We wound up the workshop early.
The speaker wound up to a question.
The speaker wound up with a question.
Similar words
finished
ended
concluded
closed
wrapped up
Tease or provoke
social
informal
To annoy, tease, or mislead someone on purpose, usually to get a reaction.
Usage
Use wound up for deliberate teasing or provocation, especially in British English.
Examples
He wound up his sister by hiding her phone.
Stop smiling, you clearly wound me up on purpose.
The headline wound up the crowd before the vote.
She only said it because she knew it wound him up.
That fake announcement wound up half the office.
Common mistakes
Wound up someone is possible, but pronouns normally go between wound and up.
Incorrect
Correct
He wound up me all morning.
He wound me up all morning.
She wounded up her brother with fake news.
She wound up her brother with fake news.
I wound up her by accident with a kind note.
I upset her by accident with a kind note.
Similar words
teased
provoked
needled
riled
annoyed
baited
Close a business or affairs
business
technical
To close a company, estate, or set of affairs by settling what remains.
Usage
Use wound up in legal or business writing for formal closure, not for an ordinary shop closing for the day.
Examples
The insolvent company was wound up by court order.
After the sale, the partnership was wound up.
The trustees wound up the estate after paying its debts.
Several dormant subsidiaries were wound up during the merger.
The fund will be wound up once the final assets are sold.
Common mistakes
Wound up for the night is too formal and legal for simply closing a shop.
Incorrect
Correct
The cafe was wound up at 6 p.m.
The cafe closed at 6 p.m.
The company was wounded up by the court.
The company was wound up by the court.
They wound up a new company last week.
They set up a new company last week.
Similar words
liquidated
closed
dissolved
settled
terminated
Tighten a mechanism
mechanical
neutral
To tighten or prepare a spring, clock, toy, window, or similar mechanism by turning it.
Usage
Use wound up for mechanisms that store tension or move by turning, not for electronic devices that are simply switched on.
Examples
He wound up the old clock every Sunday.
The toy car raced forward after Mia wound it up.
She wound up the window before the rain came in.
The music box was fully wound up.
A tightly wound up spring powered the model train.
Common mistakes
Winded up is not the past tense of this phrase.
Incorrect
Correct
He winded up the clock.
He wound up the clock.
She wound up the laptop before the meeting.
She turned on the laptop before the meeting.
The spring was wounded up too tightly.
The spring was wound up too tightly.
Similar words
tightened
cranked
turned
coiled
primed
Usage
Read the surrounding words: feelings take wound up as a state, results often take a place or -ing form, and objects such as meetings, companies, people, or clocks signal different phrasal-verb senses.
Common mistakes
Wounded up is the main form error, and treating every use as emotional misses standard senses such as wound up in prison, wound up the meeting, and wound up the clock.
Etymology
From the verb wind meaning turn or twist plus up. The mechanical idea of tightening a spring or clockwork device developed into senses of readiness, tension, completion, and later emotional provocation.
FAQ
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