wind

[ noun wind, Literary wahynd; verb wind ]

/ noun wɪnd, Literary waɪnd; verb wɪnd /

noun

air in natural motion, as that moving horizontally at any velocity along the earth's surface: A gentle wind blew through the valley. High winds were forecast.

a gale; storm; hurricane.

any stream of air, as that produced by a bellows or fan.

air that is blown or forced to produce a musical sound in singing or playing an instrument.

wind instrument.

wind instruments collectively.

the winds, the members of an orchestra or band who play the wind instruments.

breath or breathing: to catch one's wind.

the power of breathing freely, as during continued exertion.

any influential force or trend: strong winds of public opinion.

a hint or intimation: to catch wind of a stock split.

air carrying an animal's odor or scent.

solar wind.

empty talk; mere words.

vanity; conceitedness.

gas generated in the stomach and intestines.

Boxing Slang. the pit of the stomach where a blow may cause a temporary shortness of breath; solar plexus.

any direction of the compass.

a state of unconcern, recklessness, or abandon: to throw all caution to the winds.

verb (used with object)

to expose to wind or air.

to follow by the scent.

to make short of wind or breath, as by vigorous exercise.

to let recover breath, as by resting after exertion.

verb (used without object)

to catch the scent or odor of game.

Idioms for wind

between wind and water,

(of a ship) at or near the water line.
in a vulnerable or precarious spot: In her profession one is always between wind and water.

break wind, to expel gas from the stomach and bowels through the anus.

how the wind blows/lies, what the tendency or probability is: Try to find out how the wind blows. Also which way the wind blows.

in the teeth of the wind, sailing directly into the wind; against the wind. Also in the eye of the wind, in the wind's eye.

in the wind, about to occur; imminent; impending: There's good news in the wind.

off the wind,

away from the wind; with the wind at one's back.
(of a sailing vessel) headed into the wind with sails shaking or aback.

on the wind, as close as possible to the wind. Also on a wind.

sail close to the wind,

Also sail close on a wind. to sail as nearly as possible in the direction from which the wind is blowing.
to practice economy in the management of one's affairs.
to verge on a breach of propriety or decency.
to escape (punishment, detection, etc.) by a narrow margin; take a risk.

take the wind out of one's sails, to surprise someone, especially with unpleasant news; stun; shock; flabbergast: She took the wind out of his sails when she announced she was marrying someone else.

Origin of wind

before 900; Middle English (noun), Old English; cognate with Dutch, German Wind, Old Norse vindr, Gothic winds, Latin ventus

SYNONYMS FOR wind

1 Wind, air, zephyr, breeze, blast, gust refer to a quantity of air set in motion naturally. Wind applies to any such air in motion, blowing with whatever degree of gentleness or violence. Air, usually poetical, applies to a very gentle motion of the air. Zephyr, also poetical, refers to an air characterized by its soft, mild quality. A breeze is usually a cool, light wind. Blast and gust apply to quick, forceful winds of short duration; blast implies a violent rush of air, often a cold one, whereas a gust is little more than a flurry.

16 flatulence.

Words nearby wind

winchester, winchester bushel, winchester disk, winchester rifle, winckelmann, wind, wind cave national park, wind chest, wind chill, wind chimes, wind colic

British Dictionary definitions for sail close to the wind (1 of 3)

wind ¹

/ (wɪnd) /

noun

a current of air, sometimes of considerable force, moving generally horizontally from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure See also Beaufort scale Related adjective: aeolian

mainly poetic the direction from which a wind blows, usually a cardinal point of the compass

air artificially moved, as by a fan, pump, etc

any sweeping and destructive force

a trend, tendency, or force the winds of revolution

informal a hint; suggestion we got wind that you were coming

something deemed insubstantial his talk was all wind

breath, as used in respiration or talk you're just wasting wind

(often used in sports) the power to breathe normally his wind is weak See also second wind

music

a wind instrument or wind instruments considered collectively
(often plural) the musicians who play wind instruments in an orchestra
(modifier) of, relating to, or composed of wind instrumentsa wind ensemble

an informal name for flatus

the air on which the scent of an animal is carried to hounds or on which the scent of a hunter is carried to his quarry

between wind and water

the part of a vessel's hull below the water line that is exposed by rolling or by wave action
any point particularly susceptible to attack or injury

break wind to release intestinal gas through the anus

get the wind up or have the wind up informal to become frightened

have in the wind to be in the act of following (quarry) by scent

how the wind blows, how the wind lies, which way the wind blows or which way the wind lies what appears probable

in the wind about to happen

three sheets in the wind informal intoxicated; drunk

in the teeth of the wind or in the eye of the wind directly into the wind

into the wind against the wind or upwind

off the wind nautical away from the direction from which the wind is blowing

on the wind nautical as near as possible to the direction from which the wind is blowing

put the wind up informal to frighten or alarm

raise the wind British informal to obtain the necessary funds

sail close to the wind or sail near to the wind

to come near the limits of danger or indecency
to live frugally or manage one's affairs economically

take the wind out of someone's sails to destroy someone's advantage; disconcert or deflate

verb (tr)

to cause (someone) to be short of breath the blow winded him

to detect the scent of
to pursue (quarry) by following its scent

to cause (a baby) to bring up wind after feeding by patting or rubbing on the back

to expose to air, as in drying, ventilating, etc

Derived forms of wind

windless, adjective windlessly, adverb windlessness, noun

Word Origin for wind

Old English wind; related to Old High German wint, Old Norse vindr, Gothic winds, Latin ventus

British Dictionary definitions for sail close to the wind (2 of 3)

wind ²

/ (waɪnd) /

verb winds, winding or wound

(often foll by around, about, or upon) to turn or coil (string, cotton, etc) around some object or point or (of string, etc) to be turned etc, around some object or point he wound a scarf around his head

(tr) to twine, cover, or wreathe by or as if by coiling, wrapping, etc; encircle we wound the body in a shroud

(tr often foll by up) to tighten the spring of (a clockwork mechanism)

(tr foll by off) to remove by uncoiling or unwinding

(usually intr) to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course the river winds through the hills

(tr) to introduce indirectly or deviously he is winding his own opinions into the report

(tr) to cause to twist or revolve he wound the handle

(tr; usually foll by up or down) to move by cranking please wind up the window

(tr) to haul, lift, or hoist (a weight, etc) by means of a wind or windlass

(intr) (of a board, etc) to be warped or twisted

(intr) archaic to proceed deviously or indirectly

noun

the act of winding or state of being wound

a single turn, bend, etc a wind in the river

Also called: winding a twist in a board or plank

Derived forms of wind

windable, adjective

Word Origin for wind

Old English windan; related to Old Norse vinda, Old High German wintan (German winden)

British Dictionary definitions for sail close to the wind (3 of 3)

wind ³

/ (waɪnd) /

verb winds, winding, winded or wound

(tr) poetic to blow (a note or signal) on (a horn, bugle, etc)

Word Origin for wind

C16: special use of wind 1

Scientific definitions for sail close to the wind

wind

[ wĭnd ]

A current of air, especially a natural one that moves along or parallel to the ground, moving from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure. Surface wind is measured by anemometers or its effect on objects, such as trees. The large-scale pattern of winds on Earth is governed primarily by differences in the net solar radiation received at the Earth's surface, but it is also influenced by the Earth's rotation, by the distribution of continents and oceans, by ocean currents, and by topography. On a local scale, the differences in rate of heating and cooling of land versus bodies of water greatly affect wind formation. Prevailing global winds are classified into three major belts in the Northern Hemisphere and three corresponding belts in the Southern Hemisphere. The trade winds blow generally east to west toward a low-pressure zone at the equator throughout the region from 30° north to 30° south of the equator. The westerlies blow from west to east in the temperate mid-latitude regions (from 30° to 60° north and south of the equator), and the polar easterlies blow from east to west out of high-pressure areas in the polar regions. See also Beaufort scale chinook foehn monsoon Santa Ana.

Idioms and Phrases with sail close to the wind (1 of 2)

sail close to the wind

Be on the verge of doing something illegal or improper, as in She was sailing pretty close to the wind when she called him a liar. This term alludes to the danger incurred when literally sailing too close to (that is, in the direction of) the wind. Its figurative use dates from the first half of the 1800s.

Idioms and Phrases with sail close to the wind (2 of 2)

wind

In addition to the idioms beginning with wind

wind down
wind up

also see:

before the wind
break wind
get wind of
gone with the wind
ill wind
in the wind
like greased lightning (the wind)
sail close to the wind
second wind
something in the wind
straw in the wind
take the wind out of one's sails
three sheets to the wind
throw caution to the winds
twist in the wind
way the wind blows

BROWSE DICTIONARY

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wind