rewind

1 of 2

verb

re·​wind (ˌ)rē-ˈwīnd How to pronounce rewind (audio)
rewound (ˌ)rē-ˈwau̇nd How to pronounce rewind (audio) ; rewinding

transitive verb

: to wind again
especially : to reverse the winding of
rewind film

rewind

2 of 2

noun

re·​wind ˈrē-ˌwīnd How to pronounce rewind (audio) (ˌ)rē-ˈwīnd How to pronounce rewind (audio)
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
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.
Verb
But my friend says—three air raid alarms during the screening, and after each all-clear, the story was rewound ten minutes. — Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026 For better or worse, there is no magic potion that can rewind signs of aging. — Isabel Bekele, InStyle, 5 Oct. 2026
Noun
Kristen Wiig For another bold-meets-neutral example, rewind a little bit to the Chanel spring 2027 show held during Paris Fashion Week earlier this month. — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2026 Four save slots per game and a rewind function introduce a few conveniences that players in 1983 could only have dreamed about. — New Atlas, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rewind

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1717, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1926, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rewind was in 1717

Browse Nearby Words

rewin
rewind
rewinder
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rewind.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rewind. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

rewind

1 of 2 verb
re·​wind rē-ˈwīnd How to pronounce rewind (audio)
rewound -ˈwau̇nd How to pronounce rewind (audio) ; rewinding
: to wind again
especially : to reverse the winding of (as a video tape)

rewind

2 of 2 noun
re·​wind ˈrē-ˌwīnd How to pronounce rewind (audio)
: a function of an electronic device that reverses a recording to a previous portion
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All