as in rotation
a rapid turning about on an axis or central point
she slipped and, after an out-of-control reel, fell on her backside
Synonyms & Similar Words
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1
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as in to stagger
to move forward while swaying from side to side
got off the amusement park ride reeling and barely able to stand
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of reel
Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2026
One of them was a highlight-reel, one-handed snag, where Taaffe sat underneath a route in zone coverage and elevated to pull it down with his right hand high above him.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
London — Two Jewish men were stabbed in broad daylight in a leafy suburb of north London on Wednesday in what police described as a terrorist incident, further rattling a Jewish community already reeling from a series of antisemitic attacks in the British capital.
—Jomana Karadsheh, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for reel
Noun
The second-year forward put up 11 points in the fourth, making highlight reel play after highlight reel play on the run.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2026
One of them was a highlight-reel, one-handed snag, where Taaffe sat underneath a route in zone coverage and elevated to pull it down with his right hand high above him.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
Verb
Her family is reeling from the sudden loss of a woman with a gift for making the people around her feel seen.
—Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
London — Two Jewish men were stabbed in broad daylight in a leafy suburb of north London on Wednesday in what police described as a terrorist incident, further rattling a Jewish community already reeling from a series of antisemitic attacks in the British capital.
—Jomana Karadsheh, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for reel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reel
Noun
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Steele is now unlikely to rejoin the Cubs’ rotation until after the July All-Star break, Counsell estimated.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
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The right-hander, who has been the steadiest pitcher in the rotation, blanked the Washington Nationals over six innings in an 8-0 win.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Even brand-name billionaire developer Rick Caruso’s $100 million-plus campaign war chest and spin on latter-day Rockefeller Republicanism couldn’t win him the mayoralty last go-around.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
2 May 2026
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Try Audible for free Hands caked with mud, fingertips diced by a thousand tiny cuts, and my wheels were spinning again.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
1 May 2026
Verb
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By the time the Magic staggered into Detroit for Game 7 on Sunday afternoon, the outcome felt less like a question and more like an inevitability.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 May 2026
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The works depicted broken figures staggering toward the viewer in ragged uniforms — in distorted sizes, giant hands and small heads.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Noun
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Vato’s tiny storefront is austere and modern, an aesthetic that extends to the burritos themselves, which are long, lithe roll-ups with a sort of gamine appeal, svelte as a Virginia Slim.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
3 May 2026
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First will be a SpaceX cargo Dragon on the CRS-35 mission with another 7,200 pounds of payload including roll-out solar arrays for the station.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 May 2026
Verb
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April’s list includes tracking Roman ship repairs, the discovery that mushrooms can detect human urine, crushing soda cans for science, and the physics of why dolphins can swim so fast.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
2 May 2026
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The rescuers were going to inflate airbags underneath the animal, but then the water level rose, and one morning the whale began to swim.—
Jessica Camille Aguirre,
New Yorker,
2 May 2026
Verb
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With a gallery space split between a dance studio and a film editing room, the exhibition weaves elements of choreography, documentary, oral history and ritual.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
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Sports fans, theater lovers, and nightlife seekers can weave effortlessly through Daikin Park, Alley Theatre, and the Houston Symphony, with local bars like Angel Share offering creative cocktails and a friendly vibe.—
Carrie Honaker,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
1 May 2026
Noun
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Heart-stopping video from inside a school bus showed nearly a dozen Mississippi middle school students jumping into action after their bus driver lost consciousness Wednesday behind the wheel.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
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The new wheel taxes will generate an increase of $344,732 annually, which the town can only use for street paving.—
Amy Lavalley,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The ladies haven’t had that problem, lurching out of the gate like the racehorses at Ascot.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
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For weeks, the Strait of Hormuz has lurched between open and closed — mostly the latter — depending on the day’s escalation, underscoring how fragile a system built on global fossil fuel chokepoints has become.—
Jennifer Granholm,
semafor.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reel. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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