1
2
as in tides
a prevailing or general movement or inclination
the winds of public opinion are changing on this issue
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in curvatures
something that curves or is curved
there's one last easterly wind to the river before it empties into the sea
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in coils
to follow a circular or spiral course
flowering vines wind around the porch's graceful columns
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in worms
to introduce in a gradual, secret, or clever way
self-interest winds itself into everything that he does—even his alleged favors for other people
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 winds
Remington Miller, Arkansas Online, 27 Apr. 2026
Monday’s weather features plenty of sun, light winds and some heat.
—Garfield Hylton, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026
The surprises were abundant, too, including a temporary emergency evacuation on Day Two amid high winds that kicked up cowboy hats and dirt.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 27 Apr. 2026
The agency confirmed that one tornado that hit Runaway Bay on Saturday was rated as an EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, with peak winds of 135 mph.
—Kyle Reiman, ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Another fatality occurred in Parker County, but was associated with very strong RFD winds and not the tornado.
—Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026
The two tornadoes were the EF-2 in Runaway Bay — which had max winds of 135 mph — and the EF-1 in Springtown, with max winds of 105 mph.
—April 27, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
The region remains under severe red flag warnings as dry, unpredictable and strong offshore winds pick up across the region.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2025
The Palisades and Eaton fires were burning out of control in Los Angeles County as ferocious winds fueled the fast-moving blazes.
—Russell Lewis, NPR, 8 Jan. 2025
Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 2 Apr. 2026
The rooms With curvaceous walls, built in fast-growing Indonesian bamboo, split-level villas with a spiral staircase that winds seashell-like between a ground-floor lounge and upstairs living quarters have the grounding feel of being wrapped in a tropical bamboo forest.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Mar. 2026
The route winds through 36 tunnels, including the historic Moffat Tunnel, before reaching the ski slopes.
—Sponsored Content, Denver Post, 27 Mar. 2026
The company’s high-end department store has benefited from luxury shoppers seeking alternatives while rival Saks Global Enterprises, which owns Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman, winds its way through a bankruptcy.
—Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 18 Mar. 2026
The annual march, which winds 3 miles through the city’s picturesque historic district, draws tens of thousands of revelers and blends the best parts of a family reunion and football tailgate.
—Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 10 Mar. 2026
He is represented by more than 20 lawyers as his case winds itself through the federal court system, as well as within immigration courts, which are housed under the Justice Department.
—Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 10 Mar. 2026
This view, which is forever seared into my memory, was all visible from the five-mile Bradley Lake Trail loop in Grand Teton National Park, which winds from the Bradley-Taggart trail head, and along both bodies of water, all while surrounded by lush forest.
—Kristine Thomason, Outside, 9 Mar. 2026
And as the music winds on, I, like her, spin and spin.
—Danielle Parker, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026
Noun
The risk level for tornadoes is low and the risk for hail and strong winds is medium, forecasters said.
—Remington Miller, Arkansas Online, 27 Apr. 2026
Monday’s weather features plenty of sun, light winds and some heat.
—Garfield Hylton, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026
The surprises were abundant, too, including a temporary emergency evacuation on Day Two amid high winds that kicked up cowboy hats and dirt.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 27 Apr. 2026
The agency confirmed that one tornado that hit Runaway Bay on Saturday was rated as an EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, with peak winds of 135 mph.
—Kyle Reiman, ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Another fatality occurred in Parker County, but was associated with very strong RFD winds and not the tornado.
—Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026
The two tornadoes were the EF-2 in Runaway Bay — which had max winds of 135 mph — and the EF-1 in Springtown, with max winds of 105 mph.
—April 27, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
The region remains under severe red flag warnings as dry, unpredictable and strong offshore winds pick up across the region.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2025
The Palisades and Eaton fires were burning out of control in Los Angeles County as ferocious winds fueled the fast-moving blazes.
—Russell Lewis, NPR, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
Many travelers opt to take a four-wheeler down the Sand Highway, a one-way trail into a canyon on the boundary of the dunes, or on the South Boundary Trail, which winds along the eastern side of the main dune area.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 2 Apr. 2026
The rooms With curvaceous walls, built in fast-growing Indonesian bamboo, split-level villas with a spiral staircase that winds seashell-like between a ground-floor lounge and upstairs living quarters have the grounding feel of being wrapped in a tropical bamboo forest.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Mar. 2026
The route winds through 36 tunnels, including the historic Moffat Tunnel, before reaching the ski slopes.
—Sponsored Content, Denver Post, 27 Mar. 2026
The company’s high-end department store has benefited from luxury shoppers seeking alternatives while rival Saks Global Enterprises, which owns Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman, winds its way through a bankruptcy.
—Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 18 Mar. 2026
The annual march, which winds 3 miles through the city’s picturesque historic district, draws tens of thousands of revelers and blends the best parts of a family reunion and football tailgate.
—Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 10 Mar. 2026
He is represented by more than 20 lawyers as his case winds itself through the federal court system, as well as within immigration courts, which are housed under the Justice Department.
—Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 10 Mar. 2026
This view, which is forever seared into my memory, was all visible from the five-mile Bradley Lake Trail loop in Grand Teton National Park, which winds from the Bradley-Taggart trail head, and along both bodies of water, all while surrounded by lush forest.
—Kristine Thomason, Outside, 9 Mar. 2026
And as the music winds on, I, like her, spin and spin.
—Danielle Parker, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winds
Verb
-
Dry all surfaces completely and replace knobs, drip pans, and coils back on the stove.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
14 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
MomTok got Taylor on the plane and off to star in The Bachelorette, but not before Dakota worms his way in one last time.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Guiteau eventually worms his way into an audience, ostensibly seeking an ambassadorship for his dubious contributions to the campaign but, in reality, requesting a path to greatness.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Conversely, water infiltrates sandy loam soil relatively quickly but also drains out fairly quickly.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The film centers on a wealthy family whose polished exterior begins to crack when an ancient centipede spirit infiltrates their bloodline.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Designed by renowned architect Peter Zumthor, the sculptural design is a 900-foot-long, horizontal, glass and concrete structure that curves and stretches along Hancock Park and across Wilshire Boulevard.—
Julie Sharp,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
In another panel, a man and child walk away from the town along a railroad track that curves up and to the left, and then disappears.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Ortiz sneaks field recordings and samples into these songs, too—each adding texture to the universe of her songs and evoking the wider world that exists just outside the frame of her narration.—
Marissa Lorusso,
Pitchfork,
24 Mar. 2026
-
But some sunlight still sneaks through Earth’s atmosphere, bends around the planet and lands on the moon.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
To load the product onto the brush, Barnes swirls the tool into the pan twice and taps it twice to prevent fallout.—
Jenny Berg,
Vogue,
12 Dec. 2025
-
The lights are dim and jazzy music swirls the intimate crowd.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Because every child who slips through the cracks does so not from a lack of potential, but from a lack of people willing to act.—
Ann Bullock,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Apr. 2026
-
This grade slips to a C+ if Arizona eventually relents and grants Pro-Bowl pass rusher Josh Sweat’s trade request.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Many streaming hubs fill each commercial break with an assortment of spots that appear due to programmatic buying that inserts ads based on algorithms tied to demographics and geography.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Ives inserts hints of Ludwig van Beethoven’s 5th Symphony in the meditative work, and at other times seems to conjure up church bells through the piano.—
Sheila Regan,
Twin Cities,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Winds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winds. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
