wind down

1. PHRASAL VERB

When you wind down something such as the window of a car, you make it move downwards by turning a handle.

• Glass motioned to him to wind down the window.
• If a stranger stops you, just wind the window down a fraction.
• ≠ wind up

3. PHRASAL VERB

If someone winds down a business or activity, they gradually reduce the amount of work that is done or the number of people that are involved, usually before closing or stopping it completely.

• Foreign aid workers have already begun winding down their operation.
• In 1991 the Ada plant began to wind down.

.... Cobuild

wind down (something):

to end or cause something to end gradually

• The storm finally began to wind down after four hours of heavy rain.
• We wound down our affairs in Europe and left for home.
• Let's wind this party down and try to get people to go home. It's really late.
• We tried to wind down the party, but it kept running.
• Things will begin to wind down at the end of the summer.
• As things wind down, life will be a lot easier.
• The clock wound down and finally stopped.

.... http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/wind+down