reel off

verb

reeled off; reeling off; reels off

transitive verb

1
: to tell or recite readily and usually at length
reel off a few jokes to break the ice
2
: to chalk up usually as a series

Examples of reel off in a Sentence

he's able to reel off the names of all the U.S. presidents, in historical order and without pausing her friend proceeded to reel off the roster of losers that she had dated over the years
Recent Examples on the Web The Broncos reeled off 34 straight points beginning with Surtain to turn dud to domination. Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 6 Oct. 2024 The Mets reeled off a nine-game winning streak to cement their status as wild-card contenders and went past the Atlanta Braves on Monday. Larry Fleisher, Forbes, 19 Sep. 2024 Navarro reeled off six games on the spin to move ahead at 6-5, with Badosa looking visibly shaken after seeing her advantage evaporate. Sam Joseph, CNN, 3 Sep. 2024 Fields has done his part for Pittsburgh so far this season, reeling off three straight wins to start the campaign. Adam Renuart, CNN, 6 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for reel off 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reel off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of reel off was in 1837

Dictionary Entries Near reel off

Cite this Entry

“Reel off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reel%20off. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

reel off

verb
: to tell or recite rapidly and easily
reeled off the right answers

More from Merriam-Webster on reel off

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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