unspooling

verb

present participle of unspool
as in uncoiling

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unspooling
  1. unwinding
  2. untangling
  3. unraveling
  4. untwisting
  5. disentangling
Verb
  • The company has also been deliberate in unwinding its previous reliance on legacy franchises, such as the Dunk and Air Force 1 shoes.
    — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The Memphis Grizzlies are starting a new era this season after the franchise spent the last year unwinding its last one.
    — Mike Vorkunov, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of unwinding
Verb
  • The chemistry prize recognized two scientists for untangling mysterious mirror images in molecules, a discovery that has been used to develop countless drugs.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Drop it onto its magnetic base station when you're done playing, and never worry about untangling dead wires again.
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of untangling
Verb
  • Starring Zhang Yi, Ma Li, and Chen Minghao alongside Karry Wang, Fan Chengcheng, and Chen Feiyu, the multi-decade narrative charts a veteran public security officer unraveling major historical cases based on real events.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Shortly after, Iran attacked commercial vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz, unraveling the precarious cease-fire the country had struck with the United States three months earlier.
    — Narges Bajoghli, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of unraveling
Verb
  • In a feat of precision physics, researchers from Cornell and Stanford Universities have filmed atoms twisting and untwisting in perfect sync, a choreography that unfolds in just a trillionth of a second.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 12 Nov. 2025
Definition of untwisting
Verb
  • Cutting Iran off completely from the UAE could deal a serious blow to the Islamic Republic’s economy — but experts say disentangling the pair’s commercial ties could prove difficult.
    — semafor.com, semafor.com, 20 Aug. 2026
  • New characters and backstory details are dropped in before existing loose ends are tied up, resulting in unclear motivations and convoluted layers of subplot that, ultimately, do not prove relevant enough to have been worth disentangling.
    — Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of disentangling
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.

Browse Nearby Words

unspooled
unspooling
unspools
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Cite this Entry

“Unspooling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unspooling. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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