Dictionary.com

reel

1
[ reel ]
/ ril /
See synonyms for: reel / reeled / reeling on Thesaurus.com

noun

verb (used with object)

Verb Phrases

reel off, to say, write, or produce quickly and easily: The old sailor reeled off one story after another.

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Idioms for reel

    off the reel,
    1. without pause; continuously.
    2. without delay or hesitation; immediately.
    Also right off the reel.

Origin of reel

1
First recorded before 1050; Middle English noun rel(e), Old English hrēol; rēol, cognate with Old Norse hræll “weaver's rod”; verb derivative of the noun

OTHER WORDS FROM reel

reel·a·ble, adjective

Words nearby reel

reefing, reefing jacket, reef knot, reef point, reek, reel, re-elect, re-election, reeled silk, reeler, reel-fed

Definition for reel (2 of 3)

reel2
[ reel ]
/ ril /

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

to cause to reel.

noun

an act of reeling; a reeling or staggering movement.

Origin of reel

2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English relen, apparently derivative of rele reel1

synonym study for reel

3. See stagger.

Definition for reel (3 of 3)

reel3
[ reel ]
/ ril /

noun

a lively Scottish dance.
Virginia reel.
music for either of these dances.

Origin of reel

3
First recorded in 1575–85; special use of reel2
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to reel

teeter, lurch, stagger, shake, falter, stumble, wheel, whirl, swim, pitch, totter, rock, twirl, turn, careen, waver, swing, swirl, bob, revolve

Example sentences from the Web for reel

British Dictionary definitions for reel (1 of 3)

reel1
/ (riːl, rɪəl) /

noun

any of various cylindrical objects or frames that turn on an axis and onto which film, magnetic tape, paper tape, wire, thread, etc, may be woundUS equivalent: spool
angling a device for winding, casting, etc, consisting of a revolving spool with a handle, attached to a fishing rod
a roll of celluloid exhibiting a sequence of photographs to be projected

verb (tr)

to wind (cotton, thread, etc) onto a reel
(foll by in, out etc) to wind or draw with a reelto reel in a fish

Derived forms of reel

reelable, adjectivereeler, noun

Word Origin for reel

Old English hrēol; related to Old Norse hrǣll weaver's rod, Greek krekein to weave

British Dictionary definitions for reel (2 of 3)

reel2
/ (riːl, rɪəl) /

verb (mainly intr)

to sway, esp under the shock of a blow or through dizziness or drunkenness
to whirl about or have the feeling of whirling abouthis brain reeled

noun

a staggering or swaying motion or sensation

Word Origin for reel

C14 relen, probably from reel 1

British Dictionary definitions for reel (3 of 3)

reel3
/ (riːl, rɪəl) /

noun

any of various lively Scottish dances, such as the eightsome reel and foursome reel for a fixed number of couples who combine in square and circular formations
a piece of music having eight quavers to the bar composed for or in the rhythm of this dance

Word Origin for reel

C18: from reel ²
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