often attributive
1
a
: a strong rope especially of 10 inches (25 centimeters) or more in circumference
b
: a cable-laid rope
c
: a wire rope or metal chain of great tensile strength
d
: a wire or wire rope by which force is exerted to control or operate a mechanism
2
3
a
: an assembly of electrical conductors insulated from each other but laid up together (as by being twisted around a central core)
b
: cablegram
also
: a radio message or telegram
4
: something resembling or fashioned like a cable
a fiber-optic cable
5
a
: cable television
a house with cable
b
: a cable infrastructure used to provide services other than television
—often used before another noun
cable Internet
cable telephony
cabled; cabling
ˈkā-b(ə-)liŋ 
1
: to fasten with or as if with a cable
2
: to provide with a cable or cables
3
: to telegraph by submarine cable
4
: to make into a cable or into a form resembling a cable
: to communicate by a submarine cable
cabler
noun
ˈkā-b(ə-)lər
Examples of cable in a Sentence
Noun
The bridge is held up by cables.
Their company supplied cable for the project.
We need more cable to hook up the computers.
Verb
She cabled the news to the United States.
She cabled her parents for money.
The soldiers cabled back to headquarters.
Recent Examples on the Web
Brent Lang, Variety, 21 Apr. 2024
Additionally, event organizers handed out 49 cable locks and 76 gun safety lock boxes for free to help people safely secure firearms stored in their homes.
—Natallie Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2024
The Kishi Ultra can also connect to your PC via USB-C cable.
—Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 20 Apr. 2024
Editors’ Picks Traditional media companies like Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery, NBCUniversal and Disney are trying to navigate the extremely bumpy road from the cable bundle (which was enormously profitable) to streaming (which is not).
—John Koblin, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
Media mogul John Malone is stepping down from his director emeritus role at cable giant Charter Communications.
—Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Apr. 2024
In other words, streaming is just getting more like cable.
—Emma Roth, The Verge, 18 Apr. 2024
While her daughter distracted Ochoa-Lopez with a photo album, Figueroa wrapped a cable around the teen's neck and strangled her.
—USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024
After spending decades as a cable repairman, Gonzalez began working in law enforcement in 2015 as a reserve Orange County deputy, his family said in court filings.
—James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Tim Stevens, Ars Technica, 5 Feb. 2024
Researchers are using the above approach to increase power levels on an infrared laser source that achieves unrivaled power via, among other tricks, vibrations in the fiber optic cables themselves.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 Dec. 2023
Crystal’s sweater is timeless and lush—fuzzy, generously cut, and extravagantly cabled, with a tall collar and close-fitting cuffs designed to keep warmth in.
—Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2023
In 2010, the service expanded to a satellite TV station, and then to cable in 2012, using a subscription model like HBO or NFL Network.
—Sasha Richie, Dallas News, 10 July 2023
The journalists were frustrated at being muzzled, but were powerless in the face of a system designed to control every word cabled from Moscow.
—Alan Philps, Town & Country, 5 July 2023
In wake of Tucker Carlson’s ouster, will cable news turn down the volume?
—Katie Robertson, BostonGlobe.com, 30 June 2023
With a portfolio spanning across networks like E!, Bravo, Syfy and USA Network, NBCUniversal is bringing plenty of new programs to cable for fans of unscripted reality television and sci-fi drama.
—Sophia Scorziello, Variety, 9 May 2023
But why is football worth so much to cable?
—Aaron Pressman, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2021
Noun
Popular on Variety Manhattan Neighborhood Network oversees the borough’s public access TV channels, reaching some 400,000 cable subscribers in the city.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 21 Apr. 2024
Additionally, event organizers handed out 49 cable locks and 76 gun safety lock boxes for free to help people safely secure firearms stored in their homes.
—Natallie Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2024
The Kishi Ultra can also connect to your PC via USB-C cable.
—Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 20 Apr. 2024
Editors’ Picks Traditional media companies like Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery, NBCUniversal and Disney are trying to navigate the extremely bumpy road from the cable bundle (which was enormously profitable) to streaming (which is not).
—John Koblin, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
Media mogul John Malone is stepping down from his director emeritus role at cable giant Charter Communications.
—Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Apr. 2024
In other words, streaming is just getting more like cable.
—Emma Roth, The Verge, 18 Apr. 2024
While her daughter distracted Ochoa-Lopez with a photo album, Figueroa wrapped a cable around the teen's neck and strangled her.
—USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024
After spending decades as a cable repairman, Gonzalez began working in law enforcement in 2015 as a reserve Orange County deputy, his family said in court filings.
—James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Verb
Mercedes is instead filling that space with all the requisite inverters and cabling to make the eSprinter go.
—Tim Stevens, Ars Technica, 5 Feb. 2024
Researchers are using the above approach to increase power levels on an infrared laser source that achieves unrivaled power via, among other tricks, vibrations in the fiber optic cables themselves.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 Dec. 2023
Crystal’s sweater is timeless and lush—fuzzy, generously cut, and extravagantly cabled, with a tall collar and close-fitting cuffs designed to keep warmth in.
—Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2023
In 2010, the service expanded to a satellite TV station, and then to cable in 2012, using a subscription model like HBO or NFL Network.
—Sasha Richie, Dallas News, 10 July 2023
The journalists were frustrated at being muzzled, but were powerless in the face of a system designed to control every word cabled from Moscow.
—Alan Philps, Town & Country, 5 July 2023
In wake of Tucker Carlson’s ouster, will cable news turn down the volume?
—Katie Robertson, BostonGlobe.com, 30 June 2023
With a portfolio spanning across networks like E!, Bravo, Syfy and USA Network, NBCUniversal is bringing plenty of new programs to cable for fans of unscripted reality television and sci-fi drama.
—Sophia Scorziello, Variety, 9 May 2023
But why is football worth so much to cable?
—Aaron Pressman, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near cable
Cite this Entry
“Cable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cable. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cable
1 of 2 noun
ca·ble
ˈkā-bəl
1
: a very strong thick rope, wire, or chain
2
: a wire or wire rope by which force is applied to operate a piece of machinery
brake cable
3
: a bundle of electrical wires held together usually around a central core
4
5
cable
2 of 2 verb
cabled; cabling
ˈkā-b(ə-)liŋ
1
: to fasten or provide with a cable
2
: to telegraph by cable
Biographical Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share