as in presentation
informal
a fast utterance that someone has often said before and that is usually intended to persuade people to buy something, agree to something, etc.
I listened to the salesman's spiel but still refused to buy anything. He gave me a long spiel about the benefits of joining the club.
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Recent Examples of spiel
Following his initial spiel, Vitello was told that the initial report didn’t say definitively that the Giants were hiring him — just that the team was close to offering him a job.
—
Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 16 Feb. 2026
Trump opened the session with a lengthy spiel suggesting that the spigots of Venezuelan oil would soon be open, flooding the market with cheap petroleum for the benefit of American taxpayers, Venezuelan citizens and big oil companies.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Even as Bankman-Fried was captivating the crypto industry with spiels about his alleged genius, Yan and his team stayed away, preferring to trade on platforms like Coinbase.
—Ben Weiss, Fortune, 12 Jan. 2026
While going on a spiel about the pitfalls of ostracizing family members for voting MAGA, the TV personality pivoted to his personal experience.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spiel
Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 16 Feb. 2026
Trump opened the session with a lengthy spiel suggesting that the spigots of Venezuelan oil would soon be open, flooding the market with cheap petroleum for the benefit of American taxpayers, Venezuelan citizens and big oil companies.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Even as Bankman-Fried was captivating the crypto industry with spiels about his alleged genius, Yan and his team stayed away, preferring to trade on platforms like Coinbase.
—Ben Weiss, Fortune, 12 Jan. 2026
While going on a spiel about the pitfalls of ostracizing family members for voting MAGA, the TV personality pivoted to his personal experience.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spiel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiel
Noun
-
During a February school board meeting, a district official gave an hourlong presentation on the timeline, process, staffing challenges, sequence considerations and next steps.—
Angie Leventis Lourgos,
Chicago Tribune,
3 May 2026
-
Overall, enrollment between the three preschools was at 40% of capacity, according to data from a presentation to the school board.—
Graham Womack
May 3,
Sacbee.com,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
The book also includes a guide for future contestants, covering everything from filming an audition tape to preparing for the island, making fire, blindsiding an opponent and crafting a winning jury speech.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
-
Only on rare occasions do popes address foreign legislatures, and the speeches often end up among the most noteworthy of a pontificate.—
Nicole Winfield,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Chapman’s lecture was one of several sessions making up the first day of Screen Forever 40, the three-day industry conference marking the 40th edition of the Screen Producers Australia gathering.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Audiences are now challenging the media’s monopoly and the top-down lecture modes of addressing viewers and readers, which in some cases can present ethical challenges.—
Shepherd Mpofu,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Starmer’s Labour colleague David Lammy, who arranged the talks, thought that Obama could offer useful advice to Starmer, the son of a working-class toolmaker.—
Peter Slevin,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Alternativa is addressing the issue by creating a distribution arm that has already been in talks with platforms, TV channels, in-flight systems and other ancillary distribution modes.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spiel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiel. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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