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
Bychloe Berger, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
But the great streaming boom of the early 2020s has subsided as entertainment companies — reeling from financial losses — are tightening their belts and greenlighting less streaming content.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
Released in a France still reeling from President Charles de Gaulle (see The Day of the Jackal above), Army of Shadows was thought to be an unfashionably laudatory depiction of the Resistance’s violent methods.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2024
According to a report from Korea JoongAng Daily, LG sold only 10 rollable OLED TVs in Korea within its first few months of availability, a turn of fortune that prompted LG to reel back its rollable ambitions.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Mar. 2024
But by the first day of spring the Dodgers were reeling.
—Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2024
According to China’s National Bureau of Statistics, prices of Chinese exports are at their lowest level since 2009, when the West was reeling from the global financial crisis.
—Hanna Ziady, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
Feldstein, who was still reeling from the sudden and shocking death of her older brother Jordan, who passed away as a result of a blood clot in 2017, says she was immediately drawn in.
—Gillian Telling, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024
His feelings resonated with the young and the online, many of them outside Korea, all reeling from the isolating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
—James Gui, Pitchfork, 28 Mar. 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
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
But the great streaming boom of the early 2020s has subsided as entertainment companies — reeling from financial losses — are tightening their belts and greenlighting less streaming content.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
Released in a France still reeling from President Charles de Gaulle (see The Day of the Jackal above), Army of Shadows was thought to be an unfashionably laudatory depiction of the Resistance’s violent methods.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2024
According to a report from Korea JoongAng Daily, LG sold only 10 rollable OLED TVs in Korea within its first few months of availability, a turn of fortune that prompted LG to reel back its rollable ambitions.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Mar. 2024
But by the first day of spring the Dodgers were reeling.
—Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2024
According to China’s National Bureau of Statistics, prices of Chinese exports are at their lowest level since 2009, when the West was reeling from the global financial crisis.
—Hanna Ziady, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
Feldstein, who was still reeling from the sudden and shocking death of her older brother Jordan, who passed away as a result of a blood clot in 2017, says she was immediately drawn in.
—Gillian Telling, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024
His feelings resonated with the young and the online, many of them outside Korea, all reeling from the isolating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
—James Gui, Pitchfork, 28 Mar. 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 19 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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