taken the wind out of someone's sails

A form of take the wind out of someone's sails — To discourage someone greatly; to cause someone to lose hope or the will to continue; to thwart or minimize someone's ambitions.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verb
  1. participlepastpast participle of take the wind out of someone's sails
Cite this entry
APA

taken the wind out of someone's sails. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/taken%20the%20wind%20out%20of%20someone's%20sails

MLA

“taken the wind out of someone's sails.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/taken%20the%20wind%20out%20of%20someone's%20sails. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “taken the wind out of someone's sails,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/taken%20the%20wind%20out%20of%20someone's%20sails.

Source: taken the wind out of someone's sails on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.