[n. wind, Literary wahynd; v. wind] 
| 1. | air in natural motion, as that moving horizontally at any velocity along the earth's surface: A gentle wind blew through the valley. High winds were forecast. |
| 2. | a gale; storm; hurricane. |
| 3. | any stream of air, as that produced by a bellows or fan. |
| 4. | air that is blown or forced to produce a musical sound in singing or playing an instrument. |
| 5. | wind instrument. |
| 6. | wind instruments collectively. |
| 7. | the winds, the members of an orchestra or band who play the wind instruments. |
| 8. | breath or breathing: to catch one's wind. |
| 9. | the power of breathing freely, as during continued exertion. |
| 10. | any influential force or trend: strong winds of public opinion. |
| 11. | a hint or intimation: to catch wind of a stock split. |
| 12. | air carrying an animal's odor or scent. |
| 13. | solar wind. |
| 14. | empty talk; mere words. |
| 15. | vanity; conceitedness. |
| 16. | gas generated in the stomach and intestines. |
| 17. | Boxing Slang. the pit of the stomach where a blow may cause a temporary shortness of breath; solar plexus. |
| 18. | any direction of the compass. |
| 19. | a state of unconcern, recklessness, or abandon: to throw all caution to the winds. |
| 20. | to expose to wind or air. |
| 21. | to follow by the scent. |
| 22. | to make short of wind or breath, as by vigorous exercise. |
| 23. | to let recover breath, as by resting after exertion. |
| 24. | to catch the scent or odor of game. |
| 25. | between wind and water,
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| 26. | break wind, to expel gas from the stomach and bowels through the anus. |
| 27. | how the wind blows or lies, what the tendency or probability is: Try to find out how the wind blows. Also, which way the wind blows. |
| 28. | in the teeth of the wind, sailing directly into the wind; against the wind. Also, in the eye of the wind, in the wind's eye. |
| 29. | in the wind, about to occur; imminent; impending: There's good news in the wind. |
| 30. | off the wind,
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| 31. | on the wind, as close as possible to the wind. Also, on a wind. |
| 32. | sail close to the wind,
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| 33. | take the wind out of one's sails, to surprise someone, esp. with unpleasant news; stun; shock; flabbergast: She took the wind out of his sails when she announced she was marrying someone else. |
wind (wĭnd) Pronunciation Key
(click for larger image in new window) A current of air, especially a natural one that moves along or parallel to the ground, moving from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure. Surface wind is measured by anemometers or its effect on objects, such as trees. The large-scale pattern of winds on Earth is governed primarily by differences in the net solar radiation received at the Earth's surface, but it is also influenced by the Earth's rotation, by the distribution of continents and oceans, by ocean currents, and by topography. On a local scale, the differences in rate of heating and cooling of land versus bodies of water greatly affect wind formation. Prevailing global winds are classified into three major belts in the Northern Hemisphere and three corresponding belts in the Southern Hemisphere. The trade winds blow generally east to west toward a low-pressure zone at the equator throughout the region from 30° north to 30° south of the equator. The westerlies blow from west to east in the temperate mid-latitude regions (from 30° to 60° north and south of the equator), and the polar easterlies blow from east to west out of high-pressure areas in the polar regions. See also Beaufort scale, chinook, foehn, monsoon, Santa Ana. |
sail close to the wind
Be on the verge of doing something illegal or improper, as in She was sailing pretty close to the wind when she called him a liar. This term alludes to the danger incurred when literally sailing too close to (that is, in the direction of) the wind. Its figurative use dates from the first half of the 1800s.