unreel

[ uhn-reel ]

verb (used with object)

1. to unwind from or as if from a reel:

   to unreel some wire; to unreel a tangled skein.

verb (used without object)

1. to become unreeled.

Other Words From

• un·reela·ble adjective
• un·reeler noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unreel¹

First recorded in 1560–70; un- ² + reel ¹

Example Sentences

“I began living the movie as it unreeled.”

From New York Times

The stark numbers and bare-bones accounts that unreel in her hand are just the start; her staff will catalog them, investigate them — and try to bring the Russian perpetrators of war crimes to justice.

From Seattle Times

From her base in Chicago, she unreeled an array of stories about the triumphs and tragedies of people both ordinary and extraordinary.

From Washington Times

This time, the action unreels not in an East German dacha but in a London hospital.

From New York Times

A moment of silence unreeled as they contemplated their situation.

From Literature

Related Words

• loosen
• unfurl
• unravel