wind down

• IPA^(key): /waɪnd ˈdaʊn/

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wind down (third-person singular simple present winds down, present participle winding down, simple past and past participle wound down)

1. (transitive, of an object that can be raised or lowered) To lower by winding, as with a crank or windlass.

   Wind down the car window if you want to talk to me.

   Synonyms: roll down, lower

   Antonyms: wind up, roll up, raise

2. (transitive, of a device with a mainspring) To unwind.

   You'd better wind down that wind-up toy before you take it apart, or pieces might go flying.

   Synonyms: unwind, deactivate

   Antonyms: wind, wind up, activate

3. (transitive) To shut down slowly (by degrees or in phases).

   A program as complex as the Space Shuttle program takes some time to wind down.

   Synonyms: unwind, shut down

   Antonyms: activate, fire up, power up, start up, boot up

   • December 15 2022, Samanth Subramanian, “Dismantling Sellafield: the epic task of shutting down a nuclear site”, in The Guardian‎:

     As a result, Bowman admitted, Sellafield’s scientists are having to invent, mid-marathon, the process of winding the site down – and they’re finding that they still don’t know enough about it.

4. (intransitive) To slow, as if coming to an end; to become calmer or less busy.

   The festival seems to be winding down now.

   Synonym: taper off

5. (intransitive, idiomatic) To relax; to get rid of stress; to destress.

   After a long day at work, she winds down by kickboxing.

   Synonyms: calm down, unwind, chill out, let off steam

   Antonym: power up

• downwind