reels off

verb

present tense third-person singular of reel off
1
as in recites
to give from memory he's able to reel off the names of all the U.S. presidents, in historical order and without pausing

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2
as in lists
to specify one after another her friend proceeded to reel off the roster of losers that she had dated over the years

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 reels off When the dazed young woman reels off quotes from an obscure self-help book, her new acolytes take her words as gnomic wisdom. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026 Francis reels off an impressive list of work taking place this weekend, including the Belgian Open golf, the EuroLeague Final Four basketball and, of course, the final ten Premier League matches. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 24 May 2026 Ole Miss reels off a 10-4 run to open the second half and Sean Miller takes a timeout. — Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 7 Feb. 2026 In a sort of overture to his story of the Grand Inquisitor, Ivan reels off various episodes involving the sufferings of children. — Karl Ove Knausgaard, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025 But Whiddett reels off a variety of reasons why a client of bespoke means might choose MTM, relating to both time and intention. — Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reels off
  1. recites
  2. lists
  3. details
  4. outlines
Verb
  • After solving the mystery of his predecessor Hal Jordan’s (Kyle Chandler) death, Stewart claims Jordan’s power ring as his own, recites his oath and jets off toward his next adventure.
    — Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Nadal, with a wink, recites the various physical tics involved in his serving routine.
    — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Definition of recites
Verb
  • Atlas Survival Shelters, a Texas manufacturer, lists modular steel models starting around $60,000, with larger versions climbing into the hundreds of thousands of dollars or more, before freight and installation.
    — Megan Buerger, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Watt also lists his top five drummers, including the Who’s Keith Moon and the Police’s Stewart Copeland.
    — SPIN Staff, SPIN, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of lists
Verb
  • The executive, who was named chief digital officer in 2023, details Fox News’ push over the past decade to try to expand the brand to younger audiences via the Fox Nation streaming platform and a big new podcast slate, among other efforts.
    — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Published in the journal Museum Management and Curatorship, the study details the rescue of the artifacts from the Deir ez-Zor Museum in Syria.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of details
Verb
  • The nonprofit Stand Up for Stand Up posted a detailed breakdown of the data that outlines a 66% shrinkage in the SiriusXM Raw channel roster.
    — Christina Catherine Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The letter outlines 10 conditions that could help alleviate antitrust concerns.
    — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of outlines

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reels
reels off
reemploy
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Cite this Entry

“Reels off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reels%20off. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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