reeling 1 of 2

as in giddy
having a feeling of being whirled about and in danger of falling down the blood donor experienced a reeling sensation after standing up too quickly

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

reeling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of reel
1
as in spinning
to be in a confused state as if from being twirled around his mind reeled upon hearing the news that his employer had been indicted for fraud

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of reeling
Verb
The defeat marked the second straight loss for the seemingly reeling Nittany Lions. Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2025 Each episode saw an actor pose as a teenager, uncovering a child predator in an anonymous online setting before reeling them in for an in-person meeting. J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025 The Dolphins are now reeling from the injury and a 1-3 start to their season. Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025 The family is reeling from the tragedy as Kinzely has been paralyzed from the neck down, her family said in a GoFundMe set up to assist with Kayleb's funeral and medical assistance for the surviving children. Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 2 Oct. 2025 While their competitors in the East are reeling from bad breaks, the Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns All-Star pairing has unvarnished NBA Finals hopes. Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025 Ravens reeling Things have gone from bad to worse in Baltimore. Andy Scholes, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025 But Democrats, still reeling from drawing widespread criticism for helping Republicans avoid a shutdown in March, appeared committed this time to not give in without extracting concessions on health care and other priorities. Nik Popli, Time, 1 Oct. 2025 The Lexington community, still reeling from a 5-year-old’s death in a home explosion five months ago, is on edge after gas lines continue to get hit by companies installing fiber optic cables. Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 26 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reeling
Adjective
  • The long drive back to Yolo County late Saturday evening wasn’t such a bore for the UC Davis football coach, his giddy group of Aggies and suddenly weary and sleep-ready sons.
    Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 5 Oct. 2025
  • The Brewers are giddy with the chance to show up the manager who left them for more money and supposedly a better team in Chicago.
    Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Legend has it that spinning three times with your right heel on the testicles of the bull in its center will bring you good luck.
    Laura Itzkowitz, AFAR Media, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Tropical Storm Octave is spinning over the tropical eastern Pacific, according to the NHC.
    Julia Gomez, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Then the Dodgers stopped by in October for an NLDS heavyweight title bout — and the Phillies are already staggering through a standing 8-count.
    Jayson Stark, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
  • The young men in Bruins blue and gold staggering off the field afterwards dazed, confused.
    Mirjam Swanson, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Traditionally, Sean Payton’s teams deploy a revolving personnel carousel that can leave opposing defensive coordinators dizzy.
    Luca Evans, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Ten percent impairs performance and leaves you dizzy and faint.
    Alex Hutchinson, Outside, 25 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The administration’s lurching one way and another with tariffs is another example.
    Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 20 Sep. 2025
  • The title track opens the affair by lurching and creeping forward for ten minutes with odd, off-putting lyrics.
    Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • By the time the five members of Tomorrow X Together (TXT for short) appear, not from the stage but through the pit doors, weaving past the barricades and into the sea of fans, the noise has swelled to seismic levels.
    Crystal Bell, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Created by Emmy Award winner Lena Waithe, The Chi premiered in 2018 and quickly became a defining work in contemporary television, weaving together the lives of Chicago residents in a unique way.
    Okla Jones, Essence, 1 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Reeling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reeling. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.

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