reel


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reel

winding device; a spool; a dance: danced the Virginia Reel
Not to be confused with:
real – true; existing; actual: the real reason
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

reel 1

(rēl)
n.
1. A device, such as a cylinder, spool, or frame, that turns on an axis and is used for winding and storing rope, tape, film, or other flexible materials.
2. A cylindrical device attached to a fishing rod to let out or wind up the line.
3. The quantity of wire, film, or other material wound on one reel.
4. A set of curved lawnmower blades that rotate around a bar parallel to the ground, cutting grass while moving against a stationary straight blade.
tr.v. reeled, reel·ing, reels
1. To wind on or let out from a reel.
2. To recover by winding on a reel: reel in a large fish.
Phrasal Verb:
reel off
To recite fluently and usually at length: reeled off a long list of names and dates.

[Middle English, from Old English hrēol.]

reel′a·ble adj.

reel 2

 (rēl)
v. reeled, reel·ing, reels
v.intr.
1. To be thrown off balance or fall back: reeled from the sharp blow.
2. To stagger, lurch, or sway, as from drunkenness: reeled down the alley.
3. To go round and round in a whirling motion: gulls reeling and diving.
4. To feel dizzy: My head reeled with the facts and figures.
v.tr.
To cause to reel.
n.
1. A staggering, swaying, or whirling movement.
2.
a. A moderately fast dance of Scottish origin.
b. The Virginia reel.
c. The music for one of these dances.

[Middle English relen, to whirl about, probably from reel, spool; see reel1.]

reel′er n.

reel 3

 (rēl)
n. Maine
A handheld hammer used in a quarry for shaping granite blocks.

[Origin unknown.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

reel

(riːl; rɪəl)
n
1. 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 wound. US equivalent: spool
2. (Angling) angling a device for winding, casting, etc, consisting of a revolving spool with a handle, attached to a fishing rod
3. (Film) a roll of celluloid exhibiting a sequence of photographs to be projected
vb (tr)
4. to wind (cotton, thread, etc) onto a reel
5. (Angling) (foll by: in, out etc) to wind or draw with a reel: to reel in a fish.
[Old English hrēol; related to Old Norse hrǣll weaver's rod, Greek krekein to weave]
ˈreelable adj
ˈreeler n

reel

(riːl; rɪəl)
vb (mainly intr)
1. to sway, esp under the shock of a blow or through dizziness or drunkenness
2. to whirl about or have the feeling of whirling about: his brain reeled.
n
a staggering or swaying motion or sensation
[C14 relen, probably from reel1]

reel

(riːl; rɪəl)
n
1. (Dancing) 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
2. (Music, other) a piece of music having eight quavers to the bar composed for or in the rhythm of this dance
[C18: from reel2]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

reel1

(ril)

n.
1. a cylinder or other device that turns on an axis and is used to wind up or let out wire, rope, film, etc.
2. a rotatory device attached to a fishing rod at the butt, for winding up or letting out the line.
3. a quantity of something wound on a reel.
4. Brit. a spool of sewing thread.
v.t.
5. to wind on a reel.
6. to unwind (silk filaments) from a cocoon.
7. to pull by winding a line on a reel: to reel a fish in.
8. reel off, to say or write fluently and quickly, as a sequence of items.
[before 1050; (n.) Middle English rele, Old English hrēol, c. Old Norse hræll weaver's rod; (v.) Middle English relen, derivative of rele]
reel′a•ble, adj.

reel2

(ril)

v.i.
1. to sway or rock under a blow, shock, etc.
2. to waver or retreat.
3. to sway about in standing or walking, as from dizziness or intoxication; stagger.
4. to turn round and round; whirl.
5. to have a sensation of whirling: His brain reeled.
v.t.
6. to cause to reel.
n.
7. a reeling or staggering movement.
[1300–50; Middle English relen, perhaps derivative of rele reel1]
syn: See stagger.

reel3

(ril)

n.
1. a lively Scottish dance.
3. music for a reel.
[1575–85; orig. Scots; appar. identical with reel1 or reel2]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

reel


Past participle: reeled
Gerund: reeling

Imperative
reel
reel
Present
I reel
you reel
he/she/it reels
we reel
you reel
they reel
Preterite
I reeled
you reeled
he/she/it reeled
we reeled
you reeled
they reeled
Present Continuous
I am reeling
you are reeling
he/she/it is reeling
we are reeling
you are reeling
they are reeling
Present Perfect
I have reeled
you have reeled
he/she/it has reeled
we have reeled
you have reeled
they have reeled
Past Continuous
I was reeling
you were reeling
he/she/it was reeling
we were reeling
you were reeling
they were reeling
Past Perfect
I had reeled
you had reeled
he/she/it had reeled
we had reeled
you had reeled
they had reeled
Future
I will reel
you will reel
he/she/it will reel
we will reel
you will reel
they will reel
Future Perfect
I will have reeled
you will have reeled
he/she/it will have reeled
we will have reeled
you will have reeled
they will have reeled
Future Continuous
I will be reeling
you will be reeling
he/she/it will be reeling
we will be reeling
you will be reeling
they will be reeling
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been reeling
you have been reeling
he/she/it has been reeling
we have been reeling
you have been reeling
they have been reeling
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been reeling
you will have been reeling
he/she/it will have been reeling
we will have been reeling
you will have been reeling
they will have been reeling
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been reeling
you had been reeling
he/she/it had been reeling
we had been reeling
you had been reeling
they had been reeling
Conditional
I would reel
you would reel
he/she/it would reel
we would reel
you would reel
they would reel
Past Conditional
I would have reeled
you would have reeled
he/she/it would have reeled
we would have reeled
you would have reeled
they would have reeled
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

reel

A film spool, usually containing about 1000 feet of film, approximate running times of 15 mins (silent) and 11 mins (sound). Early cinemas with one projector had to stop to change reels, thus a reel was a convenient production (or part) length and movies were hired as One- or Two-Reelers.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited

Reel

The part of a Header or Small-grain binder used to move the heads or cut stalks of grain onto a canvas conveyor belt.
1001 Words and Phrases You Never Knew You Didn’t Know by W.R. Runyan Copyright © 2011 by W.R. Runyan
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.reel - a roll of photographic film holding a series of frames to be projected by a movie projectorreel - a roll of photographic film holding a series of frames to be projected by a movie projector
photographic film, film - photographic material consisting of a base of celluloid covered with a photographic emulsion; used to make negatives or transparencies
2.reel - music composed for dancing a reel
dance music - music to dance to
3.reel - winder consisting of a revolving spool with a handle; attached to a fishing rod
fishing gear, fishing rig, fishing tackle, tackle, rig - gear used in fishing
fishing pole, fishing rod - a rod of wood or steel or fiberglass that is used in fishing to extend the fishing line
winder - mechanical device around which something can be wound
4.reel - a winder around which thread or tape or film or other flexible materials can be woundreel - a winder around which thread or tape or film or other flexible materials can be wound
filature - a bobbin used in spinning silk into thread
shuttle - bobbin that passes the weft thread between the warp threads
winder - mechanical device around which something can be wound
5.reel - a lively dance of Scottish Highlandersreel - a lively dance of Scottish Highlanders; marked by circular moves and gliding steps
highland fling - a vigorous Scottish reel
square dance, square dancing - American country dancing in which couples form squares
eightsome - a Scottish reel for eight dancers
6.reel - an American country dance which starts with the couples facing each other in two lines
longways, longways dance - country dancing performed with couples in two long lines facing each other
Verb1.reel - walk as if unable to control one's movements; "The drunken man staggered into the room"
walk - use one's feet to advance; advance by steps; "Walk, don't run!"; "We walked instead of driving"; "She walks with a slight limp"; "The patient cannot walk yet"; "Walk over to the cabinet"
2.reel - revolve quickly and repeatedly around one's own axis; "The dervishes whirl around and around without getting dizzy"
revolve, rotate, go around - turn on or around an axis or a center; "The Earth revolves around the Sun"; "The lamb roast rotates on a spit over the fire"
whirligig - whirl or spin like a whirligig
3.reel - wind onto or off a reel
twine, wrap, wind, roll - arrange or or coil around; "roll your hair around your finger"; "Twine the thread around the spool"; "She wrapped her arms around the child"
reel off, unreel - unwind from or as if from a reel; "unreel the tape"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

reel

verb
1. stagger, rock, roll, pitch, stumble, sway, falter, lurch, wobble, waver, totter He lost his balance and reeled back.
2. be shaken, be shocked, be stunned, be staggered, be taken aback, be in shock, be numb, be dazed, be dumbstruck I'm still reeling from the shock of hearing it.
3. whirl, swim, spin, revolve, swirl, twirl, go round and round The room reeled and he jammed his head down.
reel something off recite, list, run through, fire off, rattle off, itemize, detail He reeled off the titles of a dozen or so novels.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

reel

verb
1. To walk unsteadily:
2. To have the sensation of turning in circles:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
بَكَرَةبَكَرَهرَقْصَه إسْكُتْلَنْدِيَّهيَتَرَنَّح، يَتَمايَل
cívkamotat serejdovák
reelrulleslingrespoletrisse
kelakelatakeriälaonnostokelapyöriä
svitak
rællskjögra; snarsnúastspóla, rúlla, hjól
リール
rilis
grieztiesgrīļotiesspole
filmkolut
vinda
เครื่องม้วน
makaraoynak bir iskoçya dansıriyılsendelemekyalpa yaparak gitmek
ống

reel

[riːl]
A. N
1. (for cable, hose) → rollo m; (for tape recorder, in fishing) → carrete m; (for thread) → carrete m, bobina f (Phot) (for small camera) → carrete m, rollo m; [of cine film] → cinta f
see also cotton, inertia-reel
2. (Mus) (= dance) baile escocés
B. VT (= wind) [+ thread, fishing line, film, tape] → enrollar, devanar
C. VI
1. (= sway, stagger) → tambalear(se)
he was sent reeling by a blow to the headun golpe en la cabeza hizo que se tambaleara
he was reeling about drunkenlycaminaba tambaleándose, caminaba haciendo eses
he lost his balance and reeled backwardsperdió el equilibrio y se fue para atrás
2. (= be shaken) our troops were reeling under the enemy bombardmentnuestras tropas sufrían el impacto del bombardeo enemigo
I'm still reeling from the shocktodavía no me he recuperado del susto
3. (= spin) [mind, head, brain] → dar vueltas
the room reeled before her eyesla habitación le daba vueltas
reel in VT + ADV [+ fish] → sacar del agua (enrollando el sedal); [+ line] → recoger, ir cobrando
reel off VT + ADV [+ statistics, list of names] → recitar de un tirón
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

reel

[ˈriːəl]
n
[cotton, tape, thread, wire, film] → bobine f
(FISHING)moulinet m
(CINEMA)bande f
vi
(= stagger) → chanceler
(with shock)
It left us reeling with disbelief → Nous en sommes restés muets de stupeur.
I'm still reeling from the shock of hearing of it → Je suis encore sous le choc de la nouvelle.
(= spin) [head, room] → tourner
My head is reeling → J'ai la tête qui tourne.
vt [+ cotton] → bobiner
reel in
vt sep [+ fish, line] → ramener
reel off
vt fus (= say) → énumérer, débiter
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

reel

n
(of thread, wire etc)Rolle f, → Spule f; (of film, magnetic tape)Spule f; (Fishing) → (Angel)rolle f
(= dance)Reel m
vt (Tech) threadaufspulen
vi (person)taumeln; (drunk also)torkeln, schwanken; he went reeling down the streeter torkelte or schwankte die Straße hinunter; the blow made him reel or sent him reelinger taumelte unter dem Schlag; my head is reelingmir dreht sich der Kopf; the news made him or his mind reelbei der Nachricht drehte sich ihm alles; the news left us reeling in disbeliefdie Nachricht verschlug uns einfach die Sprache; the whole country is still reeling from the shockdas ganze Land ist noch tief erschüttert von diesem Schock; economic problems sent markets reelingWirtschaftsprobleme brachten die Börsen ins Wanken
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

reel

[riːl]
1. n
a. (in fishing) → mulinello; (cotton reel) → rocchetto, spoletta (Tech) → aspo; (for tape recorder) → bobina (Phot) (for small camera) → rotolino, rullino; (of cine film) → bobina, pizza
b. (dance) danza scozzese o irlandese molto vivace
2. vi (sway) → vacillare, barcollare
my head is reeling → mi gira la testa
3. vt (Tech) → annaspare; (wind up) → avvolgere
reel in vt + adv (fish) → tirare su
reel off vt + advsnocciolare, sciorinare
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

reel

(riːl) noun
1. a round wheel-shaped or cylindrical object of wood, metal etc on which thread, film, fishing-lines etc can be wound. a reel of sewing-cotton; He changed the reel in the projector.
2. (the music for) a type of lively Scottish, Irish or American dance. The fiddler played a reel; to dance a reel.
verb
to stagger; to sway; to move in an unsteady way. The drunk man reeled along the road; My brain was reeling with all the information that he gave me.
reel in
to pull (eg a fish out of the water) by winding the line to which it is attached on to a reel.
reel off
to say or repeat quickly and easily, without pausing. He reeled off the list of names.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

reel

بَكَرَة cívka rulle Spule καρούλι carrete kela moulinet svitak bobina リール haspel spole szpulka carretel, carreto катушка vinda เครื่องม้วน makara ống 卷轴
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in classic literature ?
The wooden reel and angular log attached hung, long untouched, just beneath the railing of the after bulwarks.
It lay so hidden, and the way to it was so hard to find, that he himself could not have found it out had not a wise-woman given him a reel of thread which possessed a marvelous property: when he threw it before him it unwound itself and showed him the way.
The Virginia reel, as performed on board the Quaker City, had more genuine reel about it than any reel I ever saw before, and was as full of interest to the spectator as it was full of desperate chances and hairbreadth escapes to the participant.
God is a thought--it maketh all the straight crooked, and all that standeth reel. What?
And the divine locks of the king flowed forward from his immortal head, and he made great Olympus reel. So spake wise Zeus and ordained it with a nod.
About, about, in reel and rout The death-fires danced at night; The water, like a witch's oils, Burnt green, and blue and white.
Bait same's I do, Harve, an' don't snarl your reel."
I seemed to reel; I felt a nightmare sensation of falling; and, looking round, I saw the laboratory exactly as before.
"Do not you feel a great inclination, Miss Bennet, to seize such an opportunity of dancing a reel?"
"I felt certain that I heard a shot just now, and I saw you reel and spin round for a moment.
A minute later she was whirled away in his arms to the dancing-floor, where, along with the other three women and their partners, a rollicking Virginia reel was soon in progress.
But, besides the Feegeeans, Tongatabooarrs, Erromanggoans, Pannangians, and Brighggians, and, besides the wild specimens of the whaling-craft which unheeded reel about the streets, you will see other sights still more curious, certainly more comical.