cable

[ key-buh l ]

/ ˈkeɪ bəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cable ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a heavy, strong rope.

a very strong rope made of strands of metal wire, as used to support cable cars or suspension bridges.

a cord of metal wire used to operate or pull a mechanism.

Nautical.

a thick hawser made of rope, strands of metal wire, or chain.
cable's length.

Electricity. an insulated electrical conductor, often in strands, or a combination of electrical conductors insulated from one another.

cablegram.

cable television.

cable-stitch.

Architecture. one of a number of reedings set into the flutes of a column or pilaster.

verb (used with object), ca·bled, ca·bling.

to send (a message) by cable.

to send a cablegram to.

to fasten with a cable.

to furnish with a cable.

to join (cities, parts of a country, etc.) by means of a cable television network: The state will be completely cabled in a few years.

verb (used without object), ca·bled, ca·bling.

to send a message by cable.

to cable-stitch.

Nearby words

cabinetwork, cabirean, cabiri, cabiric, cabiritic, cable, cable bend, cable box, cable buoy, cable car, cable graft

Origin of cable

1175–1225; Middle English, probably < Old North French *cable < Late Latin capulum lasso; compare Latin capulāre to rope, halter (cattle), akin to capere to take

Related forms

ca·ble·like, adjectivere·ca·ble, verb, re·ca·bled, re·ca·bling.un·ca·bled, adjective

Definition for cable (2 of 2)

Cable

[ key-buh l ]

/ ˈkeɪ bəl /

noun

George Washington,1844–1925, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cable

Almost all of the network and cable news channels said that they would not be showing the cartoons either.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Well, one expert I talked to said that physically it involves little more than a $20 cable.
Red Tape and Black Boxes: Why We Keep ‘Losing’ Airliners in 2014|Clive Irving|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
HBOGo has become such a massive success for cable network HBO that they will start to offer the service as a stand-alone option.
Binge Watching is the New Bonding Time|The Daily Beast|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then again, cable news ratings are down more or less across the board, and Americans find much of the media untrustworthy.
Wanted: Less Terrible Political Coverage on TV|Matt Lewis|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

You would not know it by listening to cable news pundits, and no politician will ever admit it.
Reality Check: There Are No Swing Voters|Goldie Taylor|November 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As soon as he discovered his mistake he slipped his cable, got under sail, and ordered his men to arms, declaring it was "a bite."
The Monarchs of the Main, Volume III (of 3)|Walter Thornbury
As soon as the election was over, our people began to cable me to come home and take charge.
The Plum Tree|David Graham Phillips
The telegraph-house at the Newfoundland end was some two miles from the beach, and connected to the cable by a land-line.
The Story of The Atlantic Cable|Charles Bright
One cable crosses to Iviça, another continues on to Mallorca, and a third crosses to this island.
The Recipe for Diamonds|Charles John Cutcliffe Wright Hyne
Several hours later, both boats stood in for the San Mateo shore, and dropped anchor not more than a cable's-length away.
The Cruise of the Dazzler|Jack London

British Dictionary definitions for cable

cable

/ (ˈkeɪbəl) /

noun

a strong thick rope, usually of twisted hemp or steel wire

nautical an anchor chain or rope

a unit of distance in navigation, equal to one tenth of a sea mile (about 600 feet)
Also called: cable length, cable's length a unit of length in nautical use that has various values, including 100 fathoms (600 feet)

a wire or bundle of wires that conducts electricitya submarine cable See also coaxial cable

Also called: overseas telegram, international telegram, cablegram a telegram sent abroad by submarine cable, radio, communications satellite, or by telephone line

See cable stitch

short for cable television

verb

to send (a message) to (someone) by cable

(tr) to fasten or provide with a cable or cables

(tr) to supply (a place) with or link (a place) to cable television

Word Origin for cable

C13: from Old Norman French, from Late Latin capulum halter

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012