reel-to-reel

adjective

ˈrēl-tə-ˈrēl 

: 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

Dark and comfortable, Donna’s hums with reel-to-reel tape or vinyl most nights, the walls hung with museum-quality pieces. — Carrie Honaker, Bon Appetit Magazine, 5 June 2026

Inspired by Japan’s jazz-kissa listening bars, the 200-meter-square room is furnished with heritage-grade analogue equipment—horn speakers, tube amplification, a turntable, and a vintage reel-to-reel deck. — Rebecca Ann Hughes, Forbes.com, 21 May 2026

Recorded on five reel-to-reel decks, the composer’s 1975 piece blends everyday and exotic sounds—human breath, cheeping frogs, bubbling geysers—into a passionate defense of the raptures of listening. — Joshua Minsoo Kim, Pitchfork, 28 Apr. 2026

Armed with a Wollensak reel-to-reel tape recorder, Segal also recorded shows at other city venues. — Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1961, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for reel-to-reel

• bookmobile
• cochineal
• nonideal
• peroneal
• philomel
• snowmobile
• waterwheel
• abele
• alkyl
• anneal
• appeal
• cartwheel