reel
verbEtymology 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.
11 senses
- 1To wind on a reel.
- 2To spin or revolve repeatedly.
- 3To unwind; to bring or acquire something by spinning or…
- 4To walk shakily or unsteadily; to stagger; move as if…
- 5To back off, step away, or sway backwards unsteadily and…
- 6To make or cause to reel.
- 7To have a whirling sensation; to be giddy.
- 8To be in shock.
- 9To produce a mechanical insect-like song, as in grass warblers.
- 10To roll.
- 11To bring in or along.
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.
- He reeled off some tape from the roll and sealed the package.
4
To walk shakily or unsteadily; to stagger; move as if drunk or not in control of oneself.
- They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 107:27:
- He, with heavy fumes oppress'd, / Reel'd from the palace, and retired to rest.1725, Homer, “Book II”, in [William Broome], transl., The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume I, London: […] Bernard Lintot, →OCLC:
4 more examples
- the wagons reeling under the yellow sheaves1770, [Oliver] Goldsmith, The Deserted Village, a Poem, London: […] W[illiam] Griffin, […], →OCLC:
- It was by his order the shattered leading company flung itself into the houses when the Sin Verguenza were met by an enfilading volley as they reeled into the calle.1907 January, Harold Bindloss, chapter 30, in The Dust of Conflict, 1st Canadian edition, Toronto, Ont.: McLeod & Allen, →OCLC:
- Sarah reels a little, nevertheless, under the dog's boisterous greeting.1996, Janette Turner Hospital, Oyster, paperback edition, Virago Press, page 111:
- Wheeler reels with fright. He almost falls off the front of the stage. His stomach convulses and he wants to vomit, but a frantic fragment of his brain hasn't panicked yet and tells him, Wait. Nothing's changed. That's what humans have always looked like. Right? What's happening? What's wrong?2019 April 10, qntm, “CASE HATE RED”, in There Is No Antimemetics Division, →ISBN, page 138:
5
With back To back off, step away, or sway backwards unsteadily and suddenly.
- He reeled back from the punch.
- Terry's fist lashed out, but Simpson, anticipating the blow, stepped quickly to one side. Another followed, however, and caught the older man fairly on the chin, sent him reeling back.1936, F.J. Thwaites, chapter XX, in The Redemption, Sydney: H. John Edwards, published 1940, page 205:
6
To make or cause to reel.
7
To have a whirling sensation; to be giddy.
- In these lengthened vigils his brain often reeled.1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, a Romance, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, →OCLC:
- The high school had a send-off in my honour. It was an uncommon thing for a young man of Rajkot to go to England. I had written out a few words of thanks. But I could scarcely stammer them out. I remember how my head reeled and how my whole frame shook as I stood up to read them.1927-29, M.K. Gandhi, The Story of My Experiments with Truth, translated 1940 by Mahadev Desai, Part I, Chapter xi
8
Especially, Figuratively, As "be reeling" To be in shock.
- New Jersey was reeling on Wednesday from the impact of Hurricane Sandy, which has caused catastrophic flooding here in Hoboken and in other New York City suburbs, destroyed entire neighborhoods across the state and wiped out iconic boardwalks in shore towns that had enchanted generations of vacationgoers.2012 October 31, David M. Halbfinger, New York Times, retrieved 31 Oct 2012:
9
To produce a mechanical insect-like song, as in grass warblers.
10
Obsolete To roll.
- And Sisyphus an huge round stone did reele.1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto V”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 35:
11
Figuratively To bring in or along.
- Frank stood at the sink, and began washing the plates. He realised if he was going to reel his great-aunt into his plan, he was going to have to do it very gently.2017, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Bad Dad, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN: