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

Elmqvist swapped out the mirror for a small, moveable glass nozzle that continuously sprayed a thin stream of liquid onto a spool of paper. —IEEE Spectrum, 28 Aug. 2025

Amanda Knox: Exoneration is just the beginning Among fellow speakers, Knox spotted another woman whose narrative had gotten away from her like a bouncing spool of thread, weaving an uncontrollable trail: Monica Lewinsky. —Erin Jensen, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2025

Verb

Using a custom Blue Ridge musky rod and a baitcaster spooled with 80-pound braid and a steel leader, Norgrove was throwing an Angry Dragon, a flashy, extra-long bait with a heavy duty blade. —Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 27 Aug. 2025

When the crew noticed the decaying speed and shoved the levers forward, the engines needed seconds to spool. —Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2025

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