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to overwind

to overwind

7.8
To make someone out of breath by hard physical effort
  • verb
  • /ˌoʊvərˈwaɪnd/
translation icon : excederse
  • Running up the stairs too quickly can easily overwind a person who is not used to exercise.

Examples

  • The coach warned not to overwind yourself during the first half of the race.

  • Climbing the steep trail will overwind even experienced hikers in a matter of minutes.

  • Don't overwind yourself during the workout!

  • He tends to overwind when he runs too fast.

  • Climbing the steep trail will overwind even experienced hikers who are not in shape.

  • The coach warned not to overwind yourself while preparing for the final lap of the race.

  • Running up the stairs too quickly can easily overwind someone unfamiliar with regular exercise.

Synonyms

to overexert
vsto overwind
4 6.5

Make more effort than your body or mind can handle

causes breathlessness from physical effort rather than a general exceedance of limits

Antonyms

816 1.0

To stop activity to relax or sleep and get energy back

50 2.8

Make someone or something feel full of energy and less tired

How Breathless

to overwind
7.8
to pant
95 1.6

Surface Forms

overwind infinitive
overwinding present participle
overwinds third person singular
overwound past
overwound past participle

Morphology

overwind = wind (semi-transparent) = over + wind

The morphological pieces are visible, but 'wind' has a less obvious sense 'to cause breathlessness' which learners may not generalise automatically.

Etymology

Overwind combines over- 'too much' with wind meaning 'breath', like in the word winded when you are out of breath. So to overwind someone is to leave them too short of breath after hard effort.