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Noun
On Wednesday, May 14, a Czech climber was plucked off the mountain by a helicopter using a long-line winch system.—Ben Ayers, Outside Online, 16 May 2025 On Sunday, Two Bear Air, a private search and rescue company from Montana, used a helicopter winch system to evacuate both bodies from the river canyon.—Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 12 May 2025
Verb
Lamb and Smit approach with their gear and check vitals, then begin measuring, sampling and hoisting the grizzly’s anesthetized body into the air in a sling winched to a tree.—Lesley Evans Ogden, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 May 2025 Twenty-two people had been rescued by helicopter, including 18 winched from flooded homes and roads, and four rescued from a bridge, NSW Police said.—Reuters, NBC news, 22 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for winch
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
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