1 C1 informal
(Non-standard) To end up in a particular place or situation, used as an informal variant of 'wind up'.
"He kept making the wrong decisions and somehow won up in the same mess as before."
inseparable
win up
C1 informal inseparable intransitive
A non-standard or dialectal variant of 'wind up', meaning to end up in a situation or to conclude.
In plain English
To finish somewhere or in some situation (non-standard form of 'wind up').
What does "win up" mean?
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
Usage tip
Not widely recognised as a standard phrasal verb. May be encountered as a dialectal or informal spelling or pronunciation variant of 'wind up'. ESL learners should use 'wind up' or 'end up' instead.
Words that pair with "win up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
trouble somewhere nowhere
How to conjugate "win up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
win up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
wins up
he/she/it
Past simple
won up
yesterday
Past participle
won up
have + pp
-ing form
winning up
continuous
Hear "win up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "win up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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