unreeled; unreeling; unreels
1
: to unwind from a reel
2
: to perform successfully
unreeled a 66-yard pass play
3
: reel off sense 2
unreeled five birdies in a row
Examples of unreel in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The design was almost chic (a rare quality among garden hoses), and facilitates quick access and use (rather than having to slowly unreel a regular hose).
—
Rennie Dyball, Peoplemag, 28 June 2023
Astronomers enlist surrogate measures all the time, since there is no way to stick thermometers in stars or to unreel tape measures to other galaxies.
—David H. Freedman, Discover Magazine, 9 Dec. 2010
This isn’t Donald Trump being belligerent to reporters, or Gavin Newsom unreeling state policy with wonkish ease.
—John King, SFChronicle.com, 17 Apr. 2020
Anastasia breaks with Grey at the end of the first film, when his sadistic impulses unreel a bit too far for her taste, and the two reconcile in Fifty Shades Darker.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 9 Feb. 2018
Why Nora has returned now is soon made abundantly clear by Hnath, who cannily unreels one inventive and plausible surprise after another in a text as fast-moving as the original is deliberate.
—Eric Marchese, Orange County Register, 17 Apr. 2017
A horizontal trailing wire antenna is unreeled out of the back, sort of like casting a fishing line.
—Nathan Hodge, WIRED, 27 May 2010
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Rennie Dyball, Peoplemag, 28 June 2023
Astronomers enlist surrogate measures all the time, since there is no way to stick thermometers in stars or to unreel tape measures to other galaxies.
—David H. Freedman, Discover Magazine, 9 Dec. 2010
This isn’t Donald Trump being belligerent to reporters, or Gavin Newsom unreeling state policy with wonkish ease.
—John King, SFChronicle.com, 17 Apr. 2020
Anastasia breaks with Grey at the end of the first film, when his sadistic impulses unreel a bit too far for her taste, and the two reconcile in Fifty Shades Darker.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 9 Feb. 2018
Why Nora has returned now is soon made abundantly clear by Hnath, who cannily unreels one inventive and plausible surprise after another in a text as fast-moving as the original is deliberate.
—Eric Marchese, Orange County Register, 17 Apr. 2017
A horizontal trailing wire antenna is unreeled out of the back, sort of like casting a fishing line.
—Nathan Hodge, WIRED, 27 May 2010
Cite this Entry
“Unreel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unreel. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unreel
verb
un·reel
ˌən-ˈrē(ə)l 
ˈən-
: to unwind from or as if from a reel
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