: of, relating to, or utilizing magnetic tape that requires threading on a take-up reel
a reel-to-reel tape recorder

Examples of reel-to-reel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Seven places to listen to the reel-to-reel tapes and 14 machines running. Mary Zahn and Bill Janz, Journal Sentinel, 17 Jan. 2024 Equipped with an elite audio system that features Klipsch Forte speakers, a vintage reel-to-reel tape player, and vinyl turntable, Bar One Fourteen provides guests an unparalleled listening experience in an environment like no other. The Indianapolis Star, 23 Feb. 2024 Unlike a record player—or the reel-to-reel tape player—the boom box was both portable and commensurate with the scale and the volume of the city. Jon Michaud, The New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2023 His music was never formally recorded in a studio, but reel-to-reel tapes capturing rehearsal sessions with his group Los Primos were later discovered in an attic, leading to the Third Man compilation. Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 25 Aug. 2023 One place his vision is most evident is in his reel-to-reel tape box collages, rarely displayed publicly until now. Melena Ryzik, New York Times, 3 Aug. 2023 Step back in time with this nearly 3,000-piece set that’s packed with intricate details for true-crime fans including a 1940s-era police officer, a case board, reel-to-reel recorder, and more. Amy Stanford, Peoplemag, 10 July 2023 Keith Owens, a preservation lead, operates a reel-to-reel microfilm scanner to digitize records. Megan Greenwell, WIRED, 27 June 2023 Each of these capsules sported a bed, a fold-out desk and a reel-to-reel tape player, and they were marketed toward businessmen who regularly overnighted in Tokyo. Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reel-to-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

First Known Use

1961, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of reel-to-reel was in 1961

Dictionary Entries Near reel-to-reel

Cite this Entry

“Reel-to-reel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reel-to-reel. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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