English Explanatory Dictionary

reel

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A shaky or unsteady gait.
  2. A lively dance originating in Scotland.
  3. The music of this dance; often called a Scottish (or Scotch) reel.
  4. A kind of spool, turning on an axis, on which yarn, threads, lines, or the like, are wound.
  5. A device consisting of radial arms with horizontal stats, connected with a harvesting machine, for holding the stalks of grain in position to be cut by the knives.
  6. A short compilation of sample film work used as a demonstrative resume in the entertainment industry.
  7. A chronological collection of pictures or short videos published by a user on an app or website and typically only available for a short period.
verb
  1. To wind on a reel.
  2. To spin or revolve repeatedly.
  3. To unwind; to bring or acquire something by spinning or winding something else.
  4. To walk shakily or unsteadily; to stagger; move as if drunk or not in control of oneself.
  5. To back off, step away, or sway backwards unsteadily and suddenly.
  6. To make or cause to reel.
  7. To have a whirling sensation; to be giddy.
  8. To be in shock.
  9. To produce a mechanical insect-like song, as in grass warblers.
  10. To roll.
  11. To bring in or along.
name
  1. A surname.

Pronunciation

/ɹiːl/ /ˈɹiːəl/ en-us-reel.ogg

Word forms

reel reels reeling reeled

Etymology

From Middle English reel, reele, from Old English rēol, hrēol, from Proto-West Germanic *hrehul, from Proto-Germanic *hrehulaz, *hrahilaz, from Proto-Indo-European *krek- (“to weave, beat”). Cognate with Icelandic ræl, hræll.

Synonyms

showreel story Snap

Derived words

areel barley reel blooper reel B-reel cotton reel demo reel extension reel foursome reel gag reel hose reel hosereel Leica reel log reel multireel newsreel one-reeler reelless reelman reel mower reel of cotton reel oven reel-pot reel-to-reel reel to reel tape reel-to-reel tape reel-to-reel tape recorder roving reel sand reel shame reel sizzle reel two-reeler Virginia reel reelable reeler reel in reelin reel off reel out reel up rereel unreel

Translations

Bulgarian: рил Danish: reel French: reel Irish: ríl Irish: cor Manx: reel Portuguese: ril Russian: рил Scottish Gaelic: ruidhle Scottish Gaelic: ridhle Swedish: reel Welsh: ril
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
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