cable

¹ American  

[key-buhl] / ˈkeɪ bəl /

noun

1. a heavy, strong rope.

2. a very strong rope made of strands of metal wire, as used to support cable cars or suspension bridges.

3. a cord of metal wire used to operate or pull a mechanism.

4. Nautical.

   1. a thick hawser made of rope, strands of metal wire, or chain.

   2. cable's length.

5. Electricity. an insulated electrical conductor, often in strands, or a combination of electrical conductors insulated from one another.

6. cablegram.

7. cable television.

8. cable-stitch.

9. Architecture. one of a number of reedings set into the flutes of a column or pilaster.

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verb (used with object)

cabled, cabling

1. to send (a message) by cable.

2. to send a cablegram to.

3. to fasten with a cable.

4. to furnish with a cable.

5. to join (cities, parts of a country, etc.) by means of a cable television network.

   The state will be completely cabled in a few years.

verb (used without object)

cabled, cabling

1. to send a message by cable.

2. to cable-stitch.

Cable ² American  

[key-buhl] / ˈkeɪ bəl /

noun

1. George Washington, 1844–1925, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.

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cable British  

/ ˈkeɪbəl /

noun

1. a strong thick rope, usually of twisted hemp or steel wire

2. nautical an anchor chain or rope

3. 1. a unit of distance in navigation, equal to one tenth of a sea mile (about 600 feet)

   2. Also called: cable length.   cable's length.  a unit of length in nautical use that has various values, including 100 fathoms (600 feet)

4. a wire or bundle of wires that conducts electricity See also coaxial cable

   a submarine cable

5. Also called: overseas telegram.   international telegram.   cablegram.  a telegram sent abroad by submarine cable, radio, communications satellite, or by telephone line

6. See cable stitch

7. short for cable television

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verb

1. to send (a message) to (someone) by cable

2. (tr) to fasten or provide with a cable or cables

3. (tr) to supply (a place) with or link (a place) to cable television

Other Word Forms

• cablelike adjective
• recable verb
• uncabled adjective

Etymology

Origin of cable

1175–1225; Middle English, probably < Old North French *cable < Late Latin capulum lasso; compare Latin capulāre to rope, halter (cattle), akin to capere to take

Explanation

A cable can be a strong and thick hemp or steel rope, or a conductor for sending electrical or optical signals. Cable has a bunch of meanings — ranging from communication cables to steel cables. With new online services that stream your favorite show on demand, cable television may become a thing of the past. If your adventurous kids have convinced you to install a zip line, then you better find a steel cable. In the age of email, chances are you'll never have a reason to send someone an overseas cable.

Example Sentences

MS NOW is owned by Versant, a company created out of the cable assets spun off by Comcast.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

Unlike Netflix’s scrapped deal, Paramount’s acquisition of Warner includes the company’s cable networks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Corning agreed to add capacity to its optical cable manufacturing facility in Hickory, N.C., and made Meta its “anchor customer” there.

From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026

He described the period of new cable construction in America in the late 1970s and early 1980s in “Tinderbox,” an HBO oral history.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

I had been thinking of lines like telephone cable.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Related Words

• cord
• link
• rope
• wire