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

Synonyms

• recite
• repeat
• say

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

Umberto Rispoli Morning line odds: 3-1 After finishing third in his first start last October, this $825,000 yearling purchase has reeled off four straight wins, three of them in graded stakes races. —Teresa Genaro, New York Times, 2 May 2025

Golf aficionados can reel off the names of those who own their sport’s career grand slam: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. —Bob Spear, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2025

Michigan reeled off the first 10 points before McGhie drove to the hoop and scored UC San Diego’s first basket at the 14:55 mark. —Arnie Stapleton, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2025

The storied program hasn’t won a championship since reeling off four straight from 2013 to 2016. —Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 21 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for reel off

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff

Kids Definition

reel off

verb

: to tell or recite rapidly and easily

reeled off the right answers