cable

1 of 2

noun

ca·​ble ˈkā-bəl How to pronounce cable (audio)
often attributive
1
a
: a strong rope especially of 10 inches (25 centimeters) or more in circumference
b
: a cable-laid rope
c
: a wire rope or metal chain of great tensile strength
d
: a wire or wire rope by which force is exerted to control or operate a mechanism
2
3
a
: an assembly of electrical conductors insulated from each other but laid up together (as by being twisted around a central core)
b
: cablegram
also : a radio message or telegram
4
: something resembling or fashioned like a cable
a fiber-optic cable
5
a
: cable television
a house with cable
b
: a cable infrastructure used to provide services other than television
often used before another noun
cable Internet
cable telephony

cable

2 of 2

verb

cabled; cabling ˈkā-b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce cable (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to fasten with or as if with a cable
2
: to provide with a cable or cables
3
: to telegraph by submarine cable
4
: to make into a cable or into a form resembling a cable

intransitive verb

: to communicate by a submarine cable
cabler
ˈkā-b(ə-)lər
noun

Examples of cable in a Sentence

Noun The bridge is held up by cables. Their company supplied cable for the project. We need more cable to hook up the computers. Verb She cabled the news to the United States. She cabled her parents for money. The soldiers cabled back to headquarters.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Her testimony during his confirmation hearings, watched by nearly 10 million cable viewers, drew strong reactions in the context of the #MeToo movement. CBS News, 15 Mar. 2024 At telecommunications points where transnational internet cables enter Russia, companies are being required by the government to install new surveillance equipment, analysts said. Aaron Krolik, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024 Swathes of west and central Africa have been hit by internet outages due to multiple subsea cable failures, the Guardian reports, while TechCentral also reports that the outages have spread as far as South Africa. Kylie Robison, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2024 In a separate move last year, the FCC proposed banning certain cable fees altogether, including early termination fees that the agency says hinder competition and prevent customers from easily switching providers. Brian Fung, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 An adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s graphic novels, the series set new standards for graphic violence on cable TV with hordes of flesh-munching zombies and vicious thugs. Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 Outside of their careers in the NFL and WWE, Rodgers and Ventura are known for, respectively, promoting anti-vaccine views in conversations with sports podcasters and Joe Rogan, and promoting politically contrarian, occasionally conspiratorial views on cable TV and Substack. Anna Merlan, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2024 More than 40 years ago, David Yurman sculpted his eponymous label’s first cable bracelet out of strands of gold wire. Alexis Bennett Parker, Vogue, 13 Mar. 2024 Everybody in earshot of this (including star Ron Livingston) looked surprised, given the film initially flopped at the box office but then surged on cable and home video specifically due to fans watching it over and over again. James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024
Verb
Mercedes is instead filling that space with all the requisite inverters and cabling to make the eSprinter go. Tim Stevens, Ars Technica, 5 Feb. 2024 Researchers are using the above approach to increase power levels on an infrared laser source that achieves unrivaled power via, among other tricks, vibrations in the fiber optic cables themselves. IEEE Spectrum, 6 Dec. 2023 Crystal’s sweater is timeless and lush—fuzzy, generously cut, and extravagantly cabled, with a tall collar and close-fitting cuffs designed to keep warmth in. Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2023 In 2010, the service expanded to a satellite TV station, and then to cable in 2012, using a subscription model like HBO or NFL Network. Sasha Richie, Dallas News, 10 July 2023 The journalists were frustrated at being muzzled, but were powerless in the face of a system designed to control every word cabled from Moscow. Alan Philps, Town & Country, 5 July 2023 In wake of Tucker Carlson’s ouster, will cable news turn down the volume? Katie Robertson, BostonGlobe.com, 30 June 2023 With a portfolio spanning across networks like E!, Bravo, Syfy and USA Network, NBCUniversal is bringing plenty of new programs to cable for fans of unscripted reality television and sci-fi drama. Sophia Scorziello, Variety, 9 May 2023 But why is football worth so much to cable? Aaron Pressman, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2021

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

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin capulum lasso, from Latin capere to take — more at heave entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

circa 1500, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cable was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near cable

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

cable

1 of 2 noun
ca·​ble ˈkā-bəl How to pronounce cable (audio)
1
: a very strong thick rope, wire, or chain
2
: a wire or wire rope by which force is applied to operate a piece of machinery
brake cable
3
: a bundle of electrical wires held together usually around a central core
4
5

cable

2 of 2 verb
cabled; cabling ˈkā-b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce cable (audio)
1
: to fasten or provide with a cable
2
: to telegraph by cable

Biographical Definition

Cable

biographical name

Ca·​ble ˈkā-bəl How to pronounce Cable (audio)
George Washington 1844–1925 American novelist

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