Reel

/ɹiːl/ · noun

Meaning

A shaky or unsteady gait..

Definitions by Sense

1. A shaky or unsteady gait.
2. (dance) A lively dance originating in Scotland.
3. (music) The music of this dance; often called a Scottish (or Scotch) reel.
4. A kind of spool, turning on an axis, on which yarn, threads, lines, or the like, are wound.
5. (agriculture) 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.
6. (film) A short compilation of sample film work used as a demonstrative resume in the entertainment industry.
7. (social media, sometimes 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.
8. To wind on a reel.

Example Sentences

Doubtless the present game of chess was developed through just such fiddling; perhaps someone once thought that the drunken reel of the knight was hostile to the essence of Chess.

So strict is the kirk of Scotland, that one minister was unfrocked for writing a play (in former times); and another was sent about his business for being too fond of whiskey and of dancing the reel of Tullochgorum.

[…]sample the famed waters from the Scottish mountains like a native born, and last but not least, play a reel on the bagpipes in the big hall that set all the laddies and lassies dancing.

The traditional reel Within a Mile of Dublin, for instance, distorts until it reaches something quasi-industrial.

a log reel

an angler's reel

a garden reel

Nudge the fruit machine reel.

Synonyms for reel

Antonyms for reel

Related Words

Word Forms

• reels
• reeling
• reeled

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

Practice and Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions