Synonyms of reels

reels 1 of 2

noun

plural of reel

as in wheels

a rapid turning about on an axis or central point

she slipped and, after an out-of-control reel, fell on her backside

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wheels
• rotations
• spins
• rolls
• twirls
• curves
• revolutions
• curls
• twists
• gyrations
• coils
• pirouettes
• circles
• spirals
• circuits
• whirls
• rounds
• rings
• orbits
• whorls
• circulations
• eddies
• swirls

reels

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of reel

1

as in spins

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• spins
• swims
• whirls
• turns
• swirls

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• collects
• calms
• settles
• steadies

2

as in staggers

to move forward while swaying from side to side

got off the amusement park ride reeling and barely able to stand

Synonyms & Similar Words

• staggers
• lurches
• weaves
• rolls
• shuffles
• stomps
• totters
• stumbles
• waddles
• rocks
• teeters
• careens
• dodders
• sways
• seesaws
• wobbles
• wavers
• barges
• stamps
• flounders
• clumps
• pounds
• blunders
• clomps
• shambles
• scuffs
• lumps
• tramps
• swags
• lumbers
• galumphs
• scuffles
• tromps

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of reels

Noun

Will there be a long touchdown or two that will make the highlight reels this year? — Gary Davenport, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Novig also posted an ad on its Instagram reels, which has racked up 37 million views in four days. — Jack Guy, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026

The edit intercuts old film reels, both archival B-roll and seeming home movies, to hint at how all these new stimuli jog Brooke’s memory. — Marshall Shaffer, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2026

Now the 36-year-old New York representative has embraced the attention in order to change that narrative, posting a series of Instagram reels documenting her egg-freezing journey and demystifying this fast-growing type of reproductive care. — Elizabeth Gregory, Washington Post, 4 Sep. 2026

Plenty of photos and reels come from moving-up ceremonies, sports banquets, and firsts. — Sarah Scott, Parents, 4 Sep. 2026

Over two months, the protesters and their supporters – most who appeared to be digitally-savvy GenZ – used Instagram and Snapchat to connect, organize, and share countless reels parodying the government. — Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 2 Sep. 2026

Ten straight hours of baking are edited into 90-second reels of prep work on Roll & Dough’s social pages, which Pierre, who is soft-spoken yet brutally honest, overlays with confessional voiceovers. — Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2026

Fifteen-year-old highlight reels showing baggy shorts, jaw-dropping athleticism and a crossover that nearly shook defenders out of their shoes popped up on social media again. — Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026

Verb

As the campus community reels from the news, there’s been an outpouring of support from fellow students. — Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026

In other words, OpenAI needs a competent team of AI ethicists now than ever before as the industry reels from the possibility of frontier AI models going rogue, in what many experts say is a cybersecurity nightmare in the making. — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 12 Aug. 2026

As Venezuela reels from twin quakes that killed more than 2,295 people, acting leader Delcy Rodríguez mounts her first defense of the response. — Regina Garcia Cano, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026

This wrenches the chromosomes apart into two sets and reels them to opposite ends of the cytoplasm sea. — Jake Buehler, Quanta Magazine, 29 June 2026

After Saturday night’s shooting that left two dead, neighbors are voicing their frustrations — and fears — as the community reels from another shooting that has left two more teenagers dead. — Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 28 June 2026

There’s a lot to digest as the hockey world reels from the stunning Dylan Larkin news that came out Thursday, his trade request putting the Detroit Red Wings in an unenviable spot. — Pierre Lebrun, New York Times, 5 June 2026

As America reels from 9/11, something resonates within Franny and an unexpected tenderness begins to bloom. — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 13 May 2026

As Hawaii reels from some of the worst flooding to hit the region in decades, one good Samaritan is taking to the waterways to paddle pets left behind to safety. — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026