reel-to-reel

American

[reel-tuh-reel] / ˈril təˈril /

adjective

of or relating to an audio sound-equipment system or motion-picture camera or projector through which the tape or film must be threaded onto a take-up reel.

reel-to-reel British

adjective

(of magnetic tape) wound from one reel to another in use
(of a tape recorder) using magnetic tape wound from one reel to another, as opposed to cassettes

"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

Etymology

Origin of reel-to-reel

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

reel-to-reel

The production team unearthed reel-to-reel recordings of that performance more than 40 years ago, and they will be woven into the new production as his character listens back to echoes of his younger self.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

“I used to watch game film. We just watched at home on a reel-to-reel projector,” Jodi said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2026

But UT maintained its own archive on 12,000 reel-to-reel tapes.

From Science Magazine ● Mar. 20, 2024

But as he went to use the institute’s aging reel-to-reel machine, he got a nasty surprise: an electric shock.

From New York Times ● Oct. 2, 2023

Even Dad's reel-to-reel answering machine's been sent back to Greenland.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023