spool

1 of 2

noun

ˈspül 

1

: a cylindrical device which has a rim or ridge at each end and an axial hole for a pin or spindle and on which material (such as thread, wire, or tape) is wound

2

: material or the amount of material wound on a spool

spool

2 of 2

verb

spooled; spooling; spools

transitive verb

1

: to wind on a spool

2

: wind entry 3

spool the thread off the bobbin

3

: to regulate the transmission of by means of a spooler

spool data

intransitive verb

1

: to wind itself on a spool

2

: to be wound or unwound

3

: to regulate data flow by means of a spooler

Examples of spool in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

For the lesson, five actors sat around a wooden table strewn with fabric scraps and large spools of thread. —Natalie Meade, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024

And a spool of thread would spin, not a full SEWING KIT. —Kris Holt, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024

Verb

There’s usually a creamy vegetable soup to start, and three choices of mains (meat, fish, and vegetarian dishes like rich risottos or spooling piles of noodles or pasta), plus moreish desserts like homemade strawberry ice cream, sticky toffee pudding, or turmeric lemon posset. —Nicole Trilivas, Travel + Leisure, 8 Dec. 2024

Abbott boasted that Operation Lone Star has spooled out 100 miles or more of the sharp wire, much of it in Eagle Pass. —Bayliss Wagner, Austin American-Statesman, 5 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English spole, from Middle Dutch spoele; akin to Old High German spuola spool

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1603, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

spool

noun

ˈspül

1

: a cylinder which has a rim at each end and on which something (as thread, wire, or tape) is wound

2

: material wound on a spool