reel
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A kind of spool, turning on an axis, on which yarn, threads, lines, or the like, are wound.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
reelIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɹil
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A kind of spool, turning on an axis, on which yarn, threads, lines, or the like, are wound.
dance
A lively dance of Scottish Highlanders; marked by circular moves and gliding steps
social mediasometimes capitalized
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.
dance
A lively dance originating in Scotland.
A shaky or unsteady gait.
verb
To walk shakily or unsteadily; to stagger; move as if drunk or not in control of oneself.
Revolve quickly and repeatedly around one's own axis
To spin or revolve repeatedly.
To unwind; to bring or acquire something by spinning or winding something else.
with back
To back off, step away, or sway backwards unsteadily and suddenly.
To produce a mechanical insect-like song, as in grass warblers.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- General and technical use
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A kind of spool, turning on an axis, on which yarn, threads, lines, or the like, are wound.
Used this way, reel is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use reel
- “He showed us a home video reel from his childhood trip.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Unwind from or as if from a reel.
An American country dance which starts with the couples facing each other in two lines.
A lively dance of Scottish Highlanders.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.