reel

1 of 5

noun (1)

1
: a revolvable device on which something flexible is wound: such as
a
: a small windlass at the butt of a fishing rod for the line
b
chiefly British : a spool or bobbin for sewing thread
c
: a flanged spool for photographic film
especially : one for motion pictures
2
: a quantity of something wound on a reel

reel

2 of 5

verb (1)

reeled; reeling; reels

transitive verb

1
: to wind on or as if on a reel
2
: to draw by reeling a line
reel a fish in

intransitive verb

: to turn a reel
reelable adjective

reel

3 of 5

verb (2)

reeled; reeling; reels

intransitive verb

1
a
: to turn or move round and round
b
: to be in a whirl
2
: to behave in a violent disorderly manner
3
: to waver or fall back (as from a blow)
4
: to walk or move unsteadily

transitive verb

: to cause to reel

reel

4 of 5

noun (2)

: a reeling motion

reel

5 of 5

noun (3)

1
: a lively Scottish-Highland dance
also : the music for this dance
2

Examples of reel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
In a statement, the Trump campaign said Americans are still reeling from the effects of high prices. Abha Bhattarai, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2024 Hertz, reeling from a bankruptcy and the pandemic, announced plans to buy 100,000 Teslas in late 2021. Steve Mollman, Fortune, 16 Mar. 2024 Federal environmental agencies are still reeling from deep cuts suffered under Mr. Bolsonaro, Mr. Dantas says. Ana Ionova, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Mar. 2024 Upon learning of Jessica's disappearance, Bob and Gay Smither, who were still reeling from what happened to their daughter Laura, joined the search. Claire Lempert, ABC News, 15 Mar. 2024 Passage of the bill would likely put Hobbs, a Democrat, in hot water with Arizona mayors who are still reeling from the economic toll Hobbs' rent tax elimination has had on city budgets. Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 15 Mar. 2024 The commercial real estate market is reeling under the weight of office vacancies, which puts considerable stress on the small and regional banks that hold their mortgages, though companies with remote workers might save on office expenses, thus improving profitability. Tom Saler, Journal Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2024 With that in mind, when a friend is reeling from a recent breakup, Rogge suggests refraining from giving advice unless that person specifically asks for it. Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 This year, Gloria faced voters as the city was still reeling from the flooding, but that was just the latest in a string of problems for City Hall. Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2024
Noun
Please tell us your most embarrassing moment from the season that didn't make it to the blooper reel. Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 19 Mar. 2024 My fear is that this peculiar arrangement—a never-ending reel of floating, disembodied dissent with vague messaging—will become an end unto itself, divorced from the world offline, an unreal expression of perpetual, slightly out-of-focus rage. Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024 Positioned on the left side of the reels are 4 jackpot trails resembling empty potion bottles. Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024 Jokes aside, the Magic Mike’s Last Dance star decided to drop some real gray-covering tips in an Instagram reel on February 27. Danielle Sinay, Glamour, 29 Feb. 2024 Although Stratton was the second woman eliminated, her Swanton bomb off the top of the pod—one of numerous highlight reel moments—won’t soon be forgotten. Blake Oestriecher, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024 And while Charlotte added another wire-to-wire victory notch to their belt, one play from Sunday’s win stood out — Milicic’s willingness to make a play on the ball for his team, even with a high likelihood of ending up on an opponent’s highlight reel. Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 18 Feb. 2024 Post-wedding: AI could send personalized thank you emails to all guests and assemble photo albums and highlight reels of the virtual wedding and honeymoon. Brent Dykes, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Several stars like Anne Hathaway, Emma Stone and Joey King were brought to tears by her career highlight reel alone. Zoey Lyttle, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English hrēol; akin to Old Norse hræll weaver's reed, Greek krekein to weave

Verb (2)

Middle English relen, probably from reel, noun

Noun (3)

probably from reel entry 4

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Verb (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun (2)

1572, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

circa 1585, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of reel was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near reel

Cite this Entry

“Reel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reel. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

reel

1 of 5 noun
1
a
: a device that can be turned round and round and on which something flexible is wound
b
: a device which is set on the handle of a fishing pole and used for winding up or letting out the line
c
: a narrow spool with a rim used to guide photographic film or magnetic tape
2
: a quantity of something wound on a reel
3
: a frame for drying clothes

reel

2 of 5 verb
1
: to wind on or as if on a reel
2
: to pull (as a fish) by reeling a line
3
: to wind or turn a reel
reelable adjective
reeler noun

reel

3 of 5 verb
1
a
: to whirl around
reeling in a dance
b
: to be in a whirl
heads reeling with excitement
2
: to fall back (as from a blow)
3
: to walk or move unsteadily

reel

4 of 5 noun
: a reeling motion

reel

5 of 5 noun
: a lively dance originally of the Scottish Highlands
also : the music for this dance

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