spool

1 of 2

noun

ˈspül 

1

: a cylindrical device which has a rim or ridge at each end and an axial hole for a pin or spindle and on which material (such as thread, wire, or tape) is wound

2

: material or the amount of material wound on a spool

spool

2 of 2

verb

spooled; spooling; spools

transitive verb

1

: to wind on a spool

2

: wind entry 3

spool the thread off the bobbin

3

: to regulate the transmission of by means of a spooler

spool data

intransitive verb

1

: to wind itself on a spool

2

: to be wound or unwound

3

: to regulate data flow by means of a spooler

Examples of spool in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Be aware of how to thread needles and change out spools, but remember that some models even take care of threading themselves. —Bestreviews, Mercury News, 25 May 2026

The crews will feed the interlocking PVC strip from a spool and down an access hole. —Paula Wethington, CBS News, 14 May 2026

Verb

First Light joins the world of James Bond as work is spooling up on the upcoming Amazon James Bond reboot, where the first film will be directed by Denis Villeneuve. —Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026

The opposite is true for Audi, which has been suffering poor starts as its larger turbo takes longer to spool up than the rest of the grid. —Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 14 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English spole, from Middle Dutch spoele; akin to Old High German spuola spool

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1603, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for spool

• boule
• brule
• buhl
• cool
• drool
• fool
• ghoul
• mule
• pool
• poul
• rule
• school

Kids Definition

spool

noun

ˈspül

1

: a cylinder which has a rim at each end and on which something (as thread, wire, or tape) is wound

2

: material wound on a spool