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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In the recent two-week span when Houston reeled off nine consecutive wins, the team learned to take care of business against inferior opponents. Kelly Iko, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025 Amosov joined Bellator with a 19-0 record back in 2018 and reeled off six successive wins to earn a shot at Douglas Lima and the undisputed Bellator welterweight title. Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025 The Rams reeled off five consecutive victories before McVay rested starters in a season-ending loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 15 Jan. 2025 But the offense went stale for the next 3:35, opening the door for Michigan State to reel off seven unanswered points, including the first five by Richardson. Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 27 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for reel off

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

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Cite this Entry

“Reel off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reel%20off. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.

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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