How to use reel in a sentence

40 example sentences · noun, verb

Reel means a shaky or unsteady gait. Example: “He reeled off some tape from the roll and sealed the package.”

Examples of reel by meaning

nounA shaky or unsteady gait.

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.2010, Andrew Koppelman, The Gay Rights Question in Contemporary American Law, page 92

nounThe music of this dance; often called a Scottish (or Scotch) reel.

The traditional reel Within a Mile of Dublin, for instance, distorts until it reaches something quasi-industrial.2023 November 13, Patrick Clarke, “‘People’s idea of Irishness is so warped’: John Francis Flynn, the folk singer fighting for Dublin’s...

nounA kind of spool, turning on an axis, on which yarn, threads, lines, or the like, are wound.

a log reel
an angler's reel
a garden reel

nounA chronological collection of pictures or short videos published by a user on an app or website and typically only...

Walking outside is like scrolling reels with your body2026 May 26, epicjoko, Instagram

verbTo unwind; to bring or acquire something by spinning or winding something else.

He reeled off some tape from the roll and sealed the package.

verbTo walk shakily or unsteadily; to stagger; move as if drunk or not in control of oneself.

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.2019 April 10, qntm, “CASE HATE RED”, in There Is No Antimemetics Division, →ISBN, page 138

verbTo back off, step away, or sway backwards unsteadily and suddenly.

He reeled back from the punch.
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

verbTo have a whirling sensation; to be giddy.

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

More sentences with reel

The stock market is still reeling from the giant downswing on Tuesday.From the entry downswing
Mia was just seeing a reel on Facebook that her friend had posted.From the entry facebook
The reel automatically took up the slack.From the entry take up
I was still reeling from the zinger of seeing my ex on a date with my best friend.From the entry zinger
He posted a gym reel on Instagram.From the entry Instagram
Frank had created a demo reel on DVD that he could send along with his résumé for job interviews.From the entry demo reel
Across the country, Democratic voters who have been reeling from Mr.2025 March 20, Cameron Joseph, “Panicked Democratic voters are turning on their own leaders”, in The Christian Science Monitor, archived…. From the entry feckless
And it wasn't the mention of her ex-boofriend that had her reeling — that was ancient news.2024, Tiffany Schmidt, Once Bitten, Twice Dead, unnumbered page. From the entry boofriend
Jorah reels back into a diagonal close-up whimpering like a dog.2017 July 23, Brandon Nowalk, “The great game begins with a bang on Game Of Thrones (newbies)”, in The Onion AV Club. From the entry comic relief
With a horse's backside, a horse's teeth and a brain that was presumably reeling from kenophobia."2015, Nina George, translated by Simon Pare, The Little Paris Bookshop, page 209. From the entry kenophobia
The podder chain returns large trash and pods to the reel.2012, Douglas M. Considine, Foods and Food Production Encyclopedia, page 172. From the entry podder
Side-cast reels are inherently very robust with few moving parts to break or wear out.2008, The Complete Guide To Surfcasting, →ISBN, page 29. From the entry side-cast
Something reeled drunkenly in the adyt of his mind, a vertigo.2006, M. A. Foster, The Book of The Ler. From the entry adyt
He reels home, +'s on his eyes, singing the spurl that rises like heat from his head.1995 February 21, William H[oward] Gass, “Culp”, in The Tunnel, Normal, Ill.: Dalkey Archive Press, published 2014, →ISBN, page 159. From the entry grawlix
The recorder blicked off, and the tape hissed to the end of the reel in silence.1988, Sheila Radley, The chief inspector's daughter, page 171. From the entry blick
The music in the outgoing reel should end at the end of the reel.1980, Milton Lustig, Music Editing for Motion Pictures, page 38. From the entry B-reel
Continue alternating from the A reel to the B reel as you conform.1974, George Glenn, Super 8 Handbook, page 176. From the entry B-reel
The deluxe reel with every refinement including adjustable check, quick-release drum, dual checkwork, etc.1964, The Fishing Gazette [New Series] - Issues 4524-4544, page 218. From the entry checkwork
But when we think of time and of eternity, intelligence reels.1946, Olaf Stapledon, “The Spirit of Man Considers His Plight”, in Death into Life, [Glasgow?]: Good Press, published 2022, →OCLC. From the entry unfledged
In oral cultures, bards carried epics in their heads; griots could reel off centuries of genealogy on demand.2025 October 26, Kwame Anthony Appiah, “The Age of De-Skilling”, in The Atlantic. From the entry griot
Laying on the jagged cobblestones, all I could do was take shaky breaths as I reeled from the white-hot pain.2022 August 15, Christine Ji, “Broken Ankles and Barriers to Accessibility: Reflections from a Skater-Turned-Scooter Girl”, in The…. From the entry darty
I'm not even going to touch rods, reels, and lines.2020 October 1, Kip Vieth, “10 A Different View”, in Tom Rosenbauer, editor, The Orvis Guide to Muskies on the Fly, Rowman & Littlefield…. From the entry skanoe
On the football (soccer) pitch these include: regular viewing angle; bird's-eye view; goal-to-goal; 'player-cam'; highlights reel; and 'fanzone'.2016, Rob Conkie, Writing Performative Shakespeares, page 69. From the entry fanzone
Grey reels backwards and cracks his skull against the wall.2015–2021, qntm, “Introductory Antimemetics”, in There Is No Antimemetics Division, →ISBN, page 21. From the entry hare
Reel!" I shouted, though with no one else within a hundred miles; she could have heard me whisper.2013, Glen Thomas Hierlmeier, Thoughts From Yesterday: Moments to Remember. From the entry pick up the slack
Now Australian cricket is reeling from its quadruple loss.2009, Justine Vaisutis, Australia, Lonely Planet, page 47. From the entry Mexican wave
When asked about inspirational influences in his life, he reeled off a list of folks whose names would surprise no one.2008, American Cowboy (magazine), Aug-Sep, vol. 15, no. 2. From the entry reel off

Meaning of reel

noun A shaky or unsteady gait.
noun A lively dance originating in Scotland.
noun The music of this dance; often called a Scottish (or Scotch) reel.

Full definition of reel

Questions about reel in a sentence

How do you use reel in a sentence?: Reel is used as a noun and verb. For example: “He reeled off some tape from the roll and sealed the package.”
What is a short sentence with reel?: “a garden reel”
What does reel mean?: Reel means a shaky or unsteady gait.

Adapted from Wiktionary: reel (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this page: “How to use reel in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/reel. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.