before winding up

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "before winding up" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate actions or statements that should occur prior to concluding or finishing something. Example: "Before winding up the meeting, let's summarize the key points discussed."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

57 human-written examples

Six years, an FA Cup win and a reunion with Lineker later, Venables left the club and then took England to the semi-finals of Euro 96, before winding up his managerial days with Australia, Crystal Palace, Middlesbrough and Leeds.

BBC

That policy didn't help Proud Mover, who passed through several owners before winding up at Shipshewana.

The Guardian - Opinion

Take it all," before winding up at the unnatural "Paint your landscape.

The New Yorker

They trek to out-of-the-way beaches in Africa and Australia before winding up, inevitably, in Hawaii.

The New York Times

He was transported to camps at Richmond, Va., and Tuscaloosa, Ala., before winding up at Salisbury on March 13 , 1862

The New York Times

Surely, then, the trustees should wait a few months before winding up the T&N fund, thereby making it eligible for help from the PPF?

The Economist

The journey will last a little over a month, crossing the Gobi desert in Mongolia, and traversing Russia, Ukraine, Slovakia, Austria and Switzerland before winding up in France.

The New York Times

Before winding up his talk in Farmingdale, Mr. LaMagna worked in a plug for his current passion: building a lobbying organization to voice progressive concerns and solutions.

The New York Times

The pianist, Gerald D'Angelo, traded solos with David Meade on drums and Frank Wagner on bass before winding up with a tightly woven climax.

The New York Times

PITCHING STAR Monte Pearson holds the Reds hitless into the eighth of Game 2 before winding up with a two-hit shutout.

The New York Times - Sports

Born in the French Caribbean and reared in Paris, he ran a French joint in Brooklyn's Fort Greene and lived in Brazil before winding up here.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Ensure that the action following "before winding up" logically precedes the final conclusion. The order of events should make sense within the context.

Common error

Avoid using "before winding up" when referring to activities that are completely unrelated to the main topic or conclusion. Ensure that the action being described is directly relevant to the context being finalized.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "before winding up" functions as a prepositional phrase that introduces a subordinate clause indicating temporal sequence. It specifies an action that must precede the conclusion or termination of an event, discussion, or process. Ludwig provides various examples of its use across different domains.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

88%

Science

7%

Formal & Business

2%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "before winding up" is a common and grammatically correct way to indicate that an action should occur before a conclusion, as confirmed by Ludwig. It's versatile, fitting into various contexts from news to informal discussions. While alternatives like "prior to concluding" exist for more formal situations, "before winding up" provides a balanced tone for many scenarios. As Ludwig's examples show, this phrase is valuable for ensuring all essential points are addressed before finalizing any process. Pay attention to ensuring context matches when choosing the alternatives.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

prior to concluding

Replaces "winding up" with the more formal term "concluding".

preceding the wrap-up

Rephrases "winding up" as "the wrap-up" and uses "preceding".

in advance of finishing

Emphasizes the timing aspect using "in advance of" instead of "before".

ahead of finalizing

Similar to "in advance of finishing" but uses "finalizing".

prior to the close

Uses a shorter and more direct phrase.

previous to completing

Uses more formal vocabulary like "previous to" and "completing".

earlier than the termination

Emphasizes the temporal aspect.

leading up to ending

Focuses on the process leading to the end.

preliminary to the conclusion

Replaces "before" with "preliminary to" for a more formal tone.

in anticipation of termination

Employs highly formal and legalistic language.

FAQs

How can I use "before winding up" in a sentence?

You can use "before winding up" to indicate actions or statements that should occur prior to concluding or finishing something. For example, "Before winding up the meeting, let's review the action items."

What are some alternatives to "before winding up"?

You can use alternatives like "prior to concluding", "in advance of finishing", or "ahead of finalizing", depending on the context.

Is "before winding up" formal or informal?

"Before winding up" is generally considered neutral in tone and can be used in both formal and informal contexts. However, more formal alternatives like "prior to concluding" may be preferred in highly formal settings.

What's the difference between "before winding up" and "before ending up"?

"Before winding up" implies a deliberate act of concluding something, while "before ending up" suggests an eventual, possibly unplanned, final state. The phrase "before winding up" is more suitable when describing a planned conclusion.