What does reel mean?

Definitions for reel
rilreel

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word reel.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. reelnoun

    a roll of photographic film holding a series of frames to be projected by a movie projector

  2. reelnoun

    music composed for dancing a reel

  3. reelnoun

    winder consisting of a revolving spool with a handle; attached to a fishing rod

  4. bobbin, spool, reelnoun

    a winder around which thread or tape or film or other flexible materials can be wound

  5. reel, Scottish reelnoun

    a lively dance of Scottish Highlanders; marked by circular moves and gliding steps

  6. Virginia reel, reelverb

    an American country dance which starts with the couples facing each other in two lines

  7. stagger, reel, keel, lurch, swag, careenverb

    walk as if unable to control one's movements

    "The drunken man staggered into the room"

  8. spin, spin around, whirl, reel, gyrateverb

    revolve quickly and repeatedly around one's own axis

    "The dervishes whirl around and around without getting dizzy"

  9. reelverb

    wind onto or off a reel

Wiktionary

  1. reelnoun

    A lively dance of the Highlanders of Scotland; also, the music to the dance; -- often called Scotch reel.

  2. reelnoun

    A frame with radial arms, or a kind of spool, turning on an axis, on which yarn, threads, lines, or the like, are wound

  3. reelnoun

    A machine on which yarn is wound and measured into lays and hanks, -- for cotton or linen it is fifty-four inches in circuit; for worsted, thirty inches.

  4. reelnoun

    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.

  5. reelnoun

    A short compilation of sample film work used as a demonstrative resume in the entertainment industry.

  6. reelverb

    To wind on a reel.

  7. reelverb

    To spin or revolve repeatedly.

  8. reelverb

    To unwind, to bring or acquire something by spinning or winding something else.

    He reeled off some tape from the roll and sealed the package.

  9. reelverb

    To walk shakily or unsteadily; to stagger; move as if drunk or not in control of one's self.

  10. reelverb

    (reel back) To back off or step away unsteadily and quickly.

    He reeled back from the punch.

  11. reelverb

    To make or cause to reel.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Reelnoun

    A turning frame, upon which yarn is wound into skeins from the spindle.

    Etymology: reol , Saxon.

  2. To Reelverb

    To gather yarn off the spindle.

    Etymology: from the noun.

    It may be useful for the reeling of yarn. John Wilkins.

  3. To Reelverb

    To stagger; to incline in walking, first to one side and then to the other.

    Etymology: rollen, Dutch; ragla, Swedish.

    Him when his mistress proud perceiv’d to fall,
    While yet his feeble feet for faintness reel’d,
    She ’gan call, help Orgoglio! Fairy Queen, b. i.

    What news in this our tott’ring state?
    —— It is a reeling world,
    And I believe will never stand upright,
    Till Richard wear the garland. William Shakespeare, Rich. III.

    It is amiss to sit
    And keep the turn of tipling with a slave,
    To reel the streets at noon. William Shakespeare, Ant. and Cleopatra.

    They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man. Ps.

    Grope in the dark, and to no seat confine
    Their wandring feet; but reel as drunk with wine. George Sandys.

    He with heavy fumes opprest,
    Reel’d from the palace, and retir’d to rest. Alexander Pope.

    Should he hide his face,
    Th’ extinguish’d stars would loosening reel
    Wide from their spheres. James Thomson.

Wikipedia

  1. Reel

    A reel is an object around which a length of another material (usually long and flexible) is wound for storage (usually hose are wound around a reel). Generally a reel has a cylindrical core (known as a spool) with flanges around the ends (known as the rims) to retain the material wound around the core. In most cases the core is hollow in order to pass an axle and allow the reel to rotate like a wheel, and crank or handles may exist for manually turning the reel, while others are operated by (typically electric) motors.

ChatGPT

  1. reel

    A reel is a cylindrical object around which a flexible material like a thread, wire, tape, film, or fishing line is wound for storage, dispensing, or making it more manageable. It can also refer to a device that winds and unwinds such a material. In media, a reel can signify a portion of a motion picture film. The term is also used metaphorically in expressions like "reeling from shock" to suggest an experience of strong surprise or disorientation.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Reelnoun

    a lively dance of the Highlanders of Scotland; also, the music to the dance; -- often called Scotch reel

  2. Reelnoun

    a frame with radial arms, or a kind of spool, turning on an axis, on which yarn, threads, lines, or the like, are wound; as, a log reel, used by seamen; an angler's reel; a garden reel

  3. Reelnoun

    a machine on which yarn is wound and measured into lays and hanks, -- for cotton or linen it is fifty-four inches in circuit; for worsted, thirty inches

  4. Reelnoun

    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

  5. Reelverb

    to roll

  6. Reelverb

    to wind upon a reel, as yarn or thread

  7. Reelverb

    to incline, in walking, from one side to the other; to stagger

  8. Reelverb

    to have a whirling sensation; to be giddy

  9. Reelnoun

    the act or motion of reeling or staggering; as, a drunken reel

  10. Etymology: [Gael. righil.]

Wikidata

  1. Reel

    A reel is an object around which lengths of another material are wound for storage. Generally a reel has a cylindrical core and walls on the sides to retain the material wound around the core. In some cases the core is hollow, although other items may be mounted on it, and grips may exist for mechanically turning the reel.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Reel

    rēl, n. a lively Scottish dance for two couples or more, its music generally written in common time of four crotchets in a measure, but sometimes in jig time of six quavers: music for such a dance.—v.i. to dance a reel. [Gael. righil.]

  2. Reel

    rēl, n. a rolling or turning frame for winding yarn, &c.—v.t. to wind on a reel.—adj. Reel′able, capable of being reeled.—ns. Reel′-click, an attachment to an angler's reel, which checks the line from running out too freely; Reel′-cott′on, sewing cotton thread wound on reels or spools; Reel′er, one who reels: the grasshopper-warbler; Reel′-hold′er, a rotatory frame to hold spools or reels of thread used in sewing: one of the watch in a man-of-war who hauls in the line when the log is heaved to ascertain the ship's speed; Reel′ing-machine′, a machine for winding thread on spools or reels: a machine which winds into hanks the cotton yarn received from the bobbins of the spinning-frames; Reel′-line, a fishing-line used on a reel by anglers, esp. the part reeled, as distinguished from that cast; Reel′-plate, the metal plate of a fishing-reel that fits into the reel-seat; Reel′-seat, the groove on an angler's rod which receives the reel.—Reel off, to give out with rapidity or fluency. [A.S. reól, hreól.]

  3. Reel

    rēl, v.i. to stagger: to vacillate.—n. giddiness.—adv. Reel′-rall (Scot.), topsy-turvy. [Conn. with preceding word.]

Suggested Resources

  1. reel

    Song lyrics by reel -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by reel on the Lyrics.com website.

  2. REEL

    What does REEL stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the REEL acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

Etymology and Origins

  1. Reel

    A whirling dance by a single person, peculiar to the Scots, so called in allusion to the winding of cotton on a reel.

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. REEL

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Reel is ranked #6399 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Reel surname appeared 5,316 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 would have the surname Reel.

    88.2% or 4,691 total occurrences were White.
    6.9% or 367 total occurrences were Black.
    1.8% or 100 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
    1.6% or 87 total occurrences were of two or more races.
    0.8% or 44 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.
    0.5% or 27 total occurrences were Asian.

How to pronounce reel?

How to say reel in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of reel in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of reel in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of reel in a Sentence

  1. Bob Corker:

    I am disgusted by the actions of U.N. peacekeepers that American taxpayers are paying for, and I hope that somehow we ’ll figure out a way to reel this in, protectors can never be predators.

  2. Nick Faldo:

    That sent a message to me, there are certain holes not the obvious ones you've got to really gut it out at times. It's not the highlight holes. It's the seventh and eighth that are just as important as holing the one on 10 or what you do on 18. It's gutting out putts or shots that would miss the highlight reel.

  3. Kelly Bailey:

    I was walking over towards the Jetty where my son and his cousins were exploring and I noticed a fishing line pulling from far out in the water, i then saw a man reeling in a large marine reel and another man running towards the water with a spear. After the man was fighting to reel in what we all thought was a sport fish, was told by the other man holding the spear that it was in fact a shark.

  4. Jim Rizzuto:

    He has quite a bit of experience in big game fishing, but this was the first time that he has been the guy on the rod and reel for a blue marlin.

  5. Senator Walsh:

    I really don't believe nurses at our critical access hospitals spend their days playing cards, but I did say it, and I wish I could reel it back.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

reel#1#8268#10000

Translations for reel

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"reel." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/reel>.

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