Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

take the wind out of someone's sails

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.44 in modern English

Syllables
take the wind out of -some-one's -sails
IPA
45
Scrabble Score
29
Letters
4
Syllables
15
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To discourage someone greatly; to cause someone to lose hope or the will to continue; to thwart or minimize someone's ambitions.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Referring to the idea of a ship that intercepts the wind of another, causing it to slow or stop.

Inflected Forms

takes the wind out of someone's sails (present, singular) taking the wind out of someone's sails (participle, present) took the wind out of someone's sails (past) taken the wind out of someone's sails (participle, past) knock the wind out of someone's sails (alternative)

Phrases

cut the ground from under someone's feet pull the rug out from under take the piss

Frequently Paired Words

cut the ground from under someone's feet pull the rug out from under take the piss

Synonyms

deflate flummox stultify stymie thwart

Questions

What does take the wind out of someone's sails mean?
To discourage someone greatly; to cause someone to lose hope or the will to continue; to thwart or minimize someone's ambitions.
Where does take the wind out of someone's sails come from?
Referring to the idea of a ship that intercepts the wind of another, causing it to slow or stop.

How to pronounce take the wind out of someone's sails

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “take the wind out of someone's sails”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “take the wind out of someone's sails”.
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