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as in staggered
to move forward while swaying from side to side
got off the amusement park ride reeling and barely able to stand
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of reeled
In the first two months of the Covid pandemic, as markets reeled, the Federal Reserve purchased $580 billion in agency MBS.
—
Diana Olick, CNBC, 9 Jan. 2026
The film crashed down onto Earth at a moment as audiences worldwide reeled from the helplessness of their own global crisis.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 8 Jan. 2026
The entrepreneur spent his final high school years attending an affluent South African boys school—surrounded by peers who later became politicians and award-winning novelists—while the rest of the country reeled from apartheid.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 16 Dec. 2025
The groundbreaking Weimar-era Austrian filmmaker left his country when the Nazis came to power, but he was reeled back in just a few years later, and began making movies under the auspices of Joseph Goebbels.
—The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2025
As markets reeled, officials later struck a more conciliatory tone, indicating that formal trade talks were expected to resume in the weeks ahead.
—Lyssanoel Frater, Freep.com, 25 Nov. 2025
Cruz may face challenges over several controversies he has been involved in, including his questioning of the 2020 election results and his 2021 trip to Cancun, Mexico, as Texas reeled from a historic storm.
—Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 21 Nov. 2025
Support for Amorim from those in charge was clear, even as United reeled from the defeats at Blundell Park and the Etihad, with Berrada and Wilcox highlighting underlying data that showed reasons to be optimistic.
—Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
The wild animal wasted no time in grabbing on to the cone and hung on tightly as he was reeled up.
—Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025
Diana Olick, CNBC, 9 Jan. 2026
The film crashed down onto Earth at a moment as audiences worldwide reeled from the helplessness of their own global crisis.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 8 Jan. 2026
The entrepreneur spent his final high school years attending an affluent South African boys school—surrounded by peers who later became politicians and award-winning novelists—while the rest of the country reeled from apartheid.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 16 Dec. 2025
The groundbreaking Weimar-era Austrian filmmaker left his country when the Nazis came to power, but he was reeled back in just a few years later, and began making movies under the auspices of Joseph Goebbels.
—The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2025
As markets reeled, officials later struck a more conciliatory tone, indicating that formal trade talks were expected to resume in the weeks ahead.
—Lyssanoel Frater, Freep.com, 25 Nov. 2025
Cruz may face challenges over several controversies he has been involved in, including his questioning of the 2020 election results and his 2021 trip to Cancun, Mexico, as Texas reeled from a historic storm.
—Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 21 Nov. 2025
Support for Amorim from those in charge was clear, even as United reeled from the defeats at Blundell Park and the Etihad, with Berrada and Wilcox highlighting underlying data that showed reasons to be optimistic.
—Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
The wild animal wasted no time in grabbing on to the cone and hung on tightly as he was reeled up.
—Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reeled
Verb
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Advancing to the bonus round, Alison spun the wheel again and managed to solve an eight-letter puzzle with just three letters on the board.—
Erin Clack,
PEOPLE,
6 Jan. 2026
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Lord spun and scrambled around defenders to get across the goal line and tie the score at 28 after the Redbirds (12-5) had trailed from the first quarter on.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Board members will serve for four years, but the inaugural board will include some two-year appointments so terms are staggered.—
Nick Sullivan,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Its board of directors has six seats, with elections staggered so that half of the board turns over at a time.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Prior to March 2020, guests at La Selva swam in the lagoon.—
Noah Lederman,
Robb Report,
3 Jan. 2026
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An avid runner, Enslin, 48, also has swam regularly at the state park since 1977.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The relentless Chacon lurched outside after her just as his car door opened and out popped their 6-year-old son, begging his dad to stop.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
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New year optimism was certainly in short supply inside Anfield as the mood lurched from restlessness to exasperation and then anger.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The line has rolled together for the last four games.—
Jonas Siegel,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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Police said their initial investigation found that Hastings was performing maintenance underneath the truck cab when the vehicle rolled backward, trapping him beneath it.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reeled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reeled. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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