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
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