winch

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noun

ˈwinch 

1

: any of various machines or instruments for hauling or pulling

especially : a powerful machine with one or more drums on which to coil a rope, cable, or chain for hauling or hoisting : windlass

2

: a crank with a handle for giving motion to a machine (such as a grindstone)

Illustration of winch

• winch 1

winch

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verb

winched; winching; winches

transitive verb

: to hoist or haul with or as if with a winch

wincher noun

Examples of winch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

After a fair amount of pushing and pulling, D. hooks it up to a winch in the ceiling. —R29 Team, refinery29.com, 11 Oct. 2024

On top of the base price, the Praetorian can be customized with a range of rugged features such as a ladder on the back to reach the roof, a luggage rack on the roof, front and rear winches, under run protection and work lights. —Trinity Francis, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024

Verb

Behind the scenes: The fragile tapestries were winched up and carefully fixed in place along the top. —Claire Reilly, Axios, 17 Oct. 2024

Once the probe has had a chance to gather some good eDNA, it's winched back up to the drone. —Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 30 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English winche roller, reel, from Old English wince; akin to Old English wincian to wink

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1529, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

winch

noun

ˈwinch

: a machine that has a roller on which a rope, cable, or chain is wound for pulling or lifting