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
reeled; reeling; reels
: to turn a reel
reeled; reeling; reels
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
: to cause to reel
1
: a lively Scottish-Highland dance
also
: the music for this dance
2
Synonyms
Examples of reel in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, 25 Apr. 2024
My community is reeling from the immense pain and horror in Gaza.
—Farrah Hassen, Orange County Register, 20 Apr. 2024
Tesla’s market cap is down more than $700 billion from its peak and investors are reeling, but CEO Elon Musk is still trying to make sure he gets paid.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 18 Apr. 2024
Image Today, Hawaii is reeling from its latest government corruption scandal, with state officials accused of taking bribes from Milton Choy, a prominent businessman who wore a wire for at least a year as part of a deal with the federal government.
—Irene Casado Sanchez, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
The stabbing comes as the city’s residents are still reeling from another attack by a knife-wielding assailant at a busy shopping mall on Saturday.
—Rachel Pannett, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
Fans of the popular Facebook page and X (formerly Twitter) account are reeling over this five-bedroom, 6.5-plus -bathroom — that’s listed for $2.99 million — because the interior is nothing that anyone would expect.
Seriously.
—Tj MacIas, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2024
Growers still reeling from the 2023 floods that swamped their homes, orchards and crops would be forced to reckon with the decades-long decline of the water that is the lifeblood of the region’s biggest industry.
—Calmatters, The Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2024
But people are still feeling down, reeling from a pandemic and continually looming recessions, so the Biden administration will absorb much of the blame.
—Bychloe Berger, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
Cathy Free, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Some Walmart stores sell other baits like frozen shrimp, dough balls, and a wide selection of artificial lures, which along with rods, reels, and other tackle, can also be delivered to your door.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 3 Apr. 2024
Casting reels are on top of the rod while spinning reels hand below the rod.
—Max Inchausti, Field & Stream, 28 Mar. 2024
The Daily Show host played a reel of Fox News personalities and guests, from Sean Hannity to Stuart Varney, defending the former president after the multimillion dollar judgment was levied against Trump for conspiring to inflate his net worth in order to deceive banks and insurers.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 26 Mar. 2024
The couple has been known to post a few snaps and reels on Instagram from time to time, including an adorable video of River giggling.
—Tabitha Britt, Peoplemag, 17 Mar. 2024
Living with them for a year, financial constraints force the project’s reels to be confiscated.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
The posts that fall under this category include in-feed posts, reels, accounts and explore page recommendations related to things like laws, elections or social topics.
—Tamia Fowlkes, Journal Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2024
Instagram head Adam Mosseri said on Threads last month that the change will influence what people see on their main feeds of Instagram and Threads, like the explore page, reels, feed recommendations and suggested users.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 26 Mar. 2024
Verb
North Carolina's health insurance program for state employees is reeling from the cost and widespread use of these prescription drugs.
—Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, 25 Apr. 2024
My community is reeling from the immense pain and horror in Gaza.
—Farrah Hassen, Orange County Register, 20 Apr. 2024
Tesla’s market cap is down more than $700 billion from its peak and investors are reeling, but CEO Elon Musk is still trying to make sure he gets paid.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 18 Apr. 2024
Image Today, Hawaii is reeling from its latest government corruption scandal, with state officials accused of taking bribes from Milton Choy, a prominent businessman who wore a wire for at least a year as part of a deal with the federal government.
—Irene Casado Sanchez, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
The stabbing comes as the city’s residents are still reeling from another attack by a knife-wielding assailant at a busy shopping mall on Saturday.
—Rachel Pannett, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
Fans of the popular Facebook page and X (formerly Twitter) account are reeling over this five-bedroom, 6.5-plus -bathroom — that’s listed for $2.99 million — because the interior is nothing that anyone would expect.
Seriously.
—Tj MacIas, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2024
Growers still reeling from the 2023 floods that swamped their homes, orchards and crops would be forced to reckon with the decades-long decline of the water that is the lifeblood of the region’s biggest industry.
—Calmatters, The Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2024
But people are still feeling down, reeling from a pandemic and continually looming recessions, so the Biden administration will absorb much of the blame.
—Bychloe Berger, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
Noun
An Omaha auction house was clearing out a bunch of old items acquired by a defunct local film distributor, and Huggins thought $20 was a bargain for a box of mystery reels.
—Cathy Free, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Some Walmart stores sell other baits like frozen shrimp, dough balls, and a wide selection of artificial lures, which along with rods, reels, and other tackle, can also be delivered to your door.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 3 Apr. 2024
Casting reels are on top of the rod while spinning reels hand below the rod.
—Max Inchausti, Field & Stream, 28 Mar. 2024
The Daily Show host played a reel of Fox News personalities and guests, from Sean Hannity to Stuart Varney, defending the former president after the multimillion dollar judgment was levied against Trump for conspiring to inflate his net worth in order to deceive banks and insurers.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 26 Mar. 2024
The couple has been known to post a few snaps and reels on Instagram from time to time, including an adorable video of River giggling.
—Tabitha Britt, Peoplemag, 17 Mar. 2024
Living with them for a year, financial constraints force the project’s reels to be confiscated.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
The posts that fall under this category include in-feed posts, reels, accounts and explore page recommendations related to things like laws, elections or social topics.
—Tamia Fowlkes, Journal Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2024
Instagram head Adam Mosseri said on Threads last month that the change will influence what people see on their main feeds of Instagram and Threads, like the explore page, reels, feed recommendations and suggested users.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 26 Mar. 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.
Dictionary Entries Near reel
Cite this Entry
“Reel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reel. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
reel
1 of 5 noun1
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 verb1
: 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
reeler
noun
reel
3 of 5 verb1
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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