😬 To make tense ⏰ To wind too much 😮‍💨 To exhaust

to overwind

1 8.1

To wind a clock or spring too tightly so it stops working

verb
/ˌoʊvərˈwaɪnd/

: dar demasiada cuerda

He accidentally overwound his old music box and broke the spring inside.

Examples

Watchmakers warn customers not to overwind delicate mechanical watches.
Don't overwind the clock!
If you overwind the clock, it may stop working properly.
He overwinds the spring every time.
If you overwind the clock, it may stop working properly.
Watchmakers warn customers not to overwind delicate mechanical watches.
He accidentally overwound his old music box and broke the spring inside.

Antonyms

to loosen

185 1.0

Make something less tight so it can move or open

to rewind

47 3.3

To move a watch, tape, or film back to its start

How Tight

to overwind

1 8.1

to tighten

157 1.5

to wind

31 7.1

to loosen

185 1.0

Surface Forms

overwind infinitive

overwinding present participle

overwinds third person singular

overwound past

overwound past participle

Morphology

overwind = wind (transparent) = over + wind

A straightforward intensifying prefix 'over-' added to the verb 'wind' meaning 'to wind too tightly'; the meaning is directly predictable.

Etymology

Overwind is made from over- 'too much' and wind meaning 'to turn or wrap', as in rewind or to 'wind up' a clock. So to overwind a spring or clock is to turn it too far and risk breaking it or making it stop.