# unwind

/ənˈwaɪnd/ (US) · /ʌnwˈaɪnd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/unwind
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. to relax

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to relax and stop worrying after you have been working hard.

For teachers: to relax or release tension after a period of work or stress. Intransitive in this sense.

- After a long day at the office, I like to unwind by listening to music.
- The weekend retreat provides an ideal environment for executives to unwind and disconnect from their professional obligations.

Usage: Usually used without an object to describe a person's state of mind.

### 2. to untwist

verb · CEFR B2

to undo something that has been wrapped around something else.

For teachers: to undo or open something that has been wound or coiled.

- He carefully started to unwind the long bandage from his arm.
- The technician had to unwind the tangled cables before he could identify which one was faulty.

Usage: Can be used transitively with an object or intransitively to describe the object itself moving.

### 3. to close a position

verb · CEFR C1 · Technical

to close out a complicated financial deal or investment.

For teachers: to close out or liquidate a financial position, particularly one involving complex derivatives or hedges.

- The bank had to unwind its risky investments when the market started to fall.
- The hedge fund spent several days trying to unwind its massive position in the energy sector without triggering a price collapse.

Usage: Used transitively, typically referring to trades, positions, or portfolios.

### 4. to navigate a call stack

verb · CEFR C2 · Technical

to go back through a list of computer instructions to find an error.

For teachers: to navigate back through a call stack, often during exception handling or to generate a stack trace.

- The program will unwind the stack to find where the error first happened.
- Efficient exception handling requires the runtime to unwind the stack and execute the necessary cleanup code for each frame.

Usage: Often used in the context of 'stack unwinding'.

### 5. a mechanism

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a machine or part that lets something unroll.

For teachers: a mechanism or operation designed to unspool or unroll material.

- The paper mill installed a new unwind at the start of the production line.
- The automated unwind ensures that the plastic film is fed into the packaging machine at a constant tension.

## Examples

- I like to unwind by reading a book after work.
- After a long week of meetings and deadlines, she needed the weekend to unwind and clear her head.
- The resort is designed for those who need to unwind completely, offering a serene environment far removed from the relentless pace of modern corporate life.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.