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Meaning & use

wound up

adjective, phrase·Everydayinformal

Last updated

UK/ˌwaʊnd ˈʌp/
US/ˌwaʊnd ˈʌp/

Meanings

  1. adjectiveafter a verb

    Tense, nervous, or very excited, so that you cannot relax.

    Grammar: Usually follows be, get, or feel: I was wound up all day.

    Patterns

    • be wound up about something
    • get wound up

    He was too wound up to sleep before the big exam.

    Don't get so wound up about a small delay.

    The kids were wound up after all the sugar at the party.

  2. phrasephrasal verb

    Ended up in a particular place or situation, often by chance.

    Grammar: Past form of wind up: we wound up lost, with an adjective, noun phrase or -ing form.

    Patterns

    • wound up somewhere
    • wound up doing something

    We took a wrong turn and wound up in a different town.

    She wound up paying for everyone's dinner.

    After years of travel, he wound up back in his hometown.

  3. phrasephrasal verbbusiness

    Brought a business or meeting to a close, or shut down a company.

    Grammar: Can take an object: wound up the company; or work without one: the meeting wound up.

    Patterns

    • wound up a company
    • wound up the meeting

    The chairman wound up the meeting with a short speech.

    The firm was wound up after it ran out of cash.

    They wound up the project last June.

Common combinations

wound up about
She is wound up about the interview.
all wound up
The crowd was all wound up before the final.
wound up in hospital
He wound up in hospital after the fall.
wound up with
We wound up with extra tickets.
wound up the company
The owners wound up the company last year.

Synonyms and how they differ

tense
Tense is plainer and can sound more serious, while wound up is casual and suggests being stirred up.
keyed up
Keyed up often implies positive excitement before an event, while wound up can be anxiety or irritation.
on edge
On edge stresses nervous, easily startled feelings, while wound up suggests being tightly strung and unable to relax.
stressed
Stressed names the pressure itself in clear modern terms, while wound up describes how it shows in your mood.

Opposites

relaxedcalm

Word family

wind up phrasal verb
to end up somewhere, or to tease someone
winding up noun
the formal closing down of a company
unwind verb
to relax after tension
wind-up noun
a prank or teasing joke in British English

Commonly confused: wound up or wounded? wound up or wind up?

wound up vs wounded

Wounded is pronounced WOON-id and means injured; wound up with the vowel of sound means tense or ended up.

wound up vs wind up

The present form wind up is pronounced with the long i, like find; the past wound rhymes with sound.

Practice

My brother always gets ___ before a big match and cannot sit still.

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