rewind

1 of 2

verb

re·​wind (ˌ)rē-ˈwīnd 

rewound (ˌ)rē-ˈwau̇nd  ; rewinding

transitive verb

: to wind again

especially : to reverse the winding of

rewind film

rewind

2 of 2

noun

re·​wind ˈrē-ˌwīnd 

(ˌ)rē-ˈwīnd

1

: something that rewinds or is rewound

2

: an act of rewinding

3

: a function of an electronic device that reverses a recording to a previous portion

Examples of rewind in a Sentence

Verb

Rewind the tape so that we can hear that song again.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Players will be able to stop and rewind time around themselves and around monsters during combat and even to explore past generations of the world around you. —David Jagneaux, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025

Produced by original film star Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine company, the prequel series will rewind to the high school days of her character, the fashionable legal eagle Elle. —Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 16 May 2025

Noun

But rewind to a couple of hours before kick-off and at Sandhills Station, the nearest train stop to the stadium, things were still not running entirely to plan. —Greg O'Keeffe, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025

Fashion has a particular way of romancing the past—often with a three-decade rewind, mining the design codes that shaped an earlier generation. —Laura Regensdorf, Vogue, 19 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1717, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1926, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

rewind

1 of 2 verb

re·​wind rē-ˈwīnd 

rewound -ˈwau̇nd  ; rewinding

: to wind again

especially : to reverse the winding of (as a video tape)

rewind

2 of 2 noun

re·​wind ˈrē-ˌwīnd 

: a function of an electronic device that reverses a recording to a previous portion