wend

1 of 2

verb

wended; wending; wends

intransitive verb

: to direct one's course : travel

transitive verb

: to proceed on (one's way) : direct

Wend

2 of 2

noun

: a member of a Slavic people of eastern Germany

Examples of wend in a Sentence

Verb We wended through the narrow streets. We wended our way through the narrow streets.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The property provides one of the best views of the American River from anywhere in the region as the iconic waterway wends around River Bend Park. David Caraccio, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2024 Even though the ruling is not enforceable, and the actual legal case as to whether Israel is guilty of genocide is expected to take several years to wend its way through the court, the order is more than just symbolic. Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 27 Jan. 2024 Art-pop queens Mitski and Lana Del Rey returned with entrancing — and wildly different —records; the former opted for a tight 30, while the latter took the scenic route, wending her way through 77 minutes of genre-hopping experimentation. Jason Lamphier, EW.com, 13 Dec. 2023 Attendees like Yvonne Force Villareal and Siddhartha Mukherjee were fortunate to wend the spiraled rings of the museum and explore the exhibition on view. Zachary Schwartz, Vogue, 16 Nov. 2023 Spectators along the sidewalks cheered and waved at the runners, who wended their way through the streets Saturday morning. Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Dec. 2023 Drivers entering the parking lot will wend all the way to the north end of the lot, then the south end, the north end and back toward the south end before the tour starts. James Patrick, Sacramento Bee, 25 Jan. 2024 Aging and pot-bellied, Enzo must weigh buy-out offers from rival companies (including Ford), while preparing his cars and drivers for the annual Mille Miglia, an endurance race wending through 1,000 miles of Italy’s public roads. John Semley, WIRED, 22 Dec. 2023 At the same time, Hakim’s case had been wending its way through Los Angeles County Superior Court in Santa Monica, with voluminous filings by both sides. Laurence Darmiento, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wend.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English wendan; akin to Old High German wenten to turn, Old English windan to twist — more at wind entry 3

Noun

German Wende, from Old High German Winida; akin to Old English Winedas, plural, Wends

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

1786, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wend was before the 12th century

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near wend

Cite this Entry

“Wend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wend. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

wend

verb
: to go one's way : proceed
wending their way home
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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