reeling 1 of 2

adjective

as in giddy
having a feeling of being whirled about and in danger of falling down the blood donor experienced a reeling sensation after standing up too quickly

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

reeling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of reel
1
as in spinning
to be in a confused state as if from being twirled around his mind reeled upon hearing the news that his employer had been indicted for fraud

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in staggering
to move forward while swaying from side to side got off the amusement park ride reeling and barely able to stand

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of reeling
Adjective
Even if Lee were sober and thinking straight, her alluring, blows-hot-and-cold Betty Jo would be impossible for a guy like Lee — reckless, reeling, distractible — to resist. — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
Cooper Flagg had 29 points and 11 assists, plus blocked a shot that would have given Miami the lead in the final moments, and the Dallas Mavericks sent the reeling Miami Heat to 0-4 with a 113-109 win on Monday night. — CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026 Room for Disagreement Iowa is reeling from high gas prices and a moribund agriculture market, causing dissatisfaction with the long-ruling GOP. — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 26 Oct. 2026 Eagles banged up on both sides The Eagles will enter Monday night reeling from multiple key injuries. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026 Elk Grove and its large Sikh community were left reeling from the killings. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026 OpenAI dropped hundreds of math proofs earlier this month in a move that has left the mathematics community reeling. — Tobias Burns, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026 The reeling Washington Commanders are going to be without one of their biggest offensive weapons. — Ryan Canfield Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026 While France is reeling from its ongoing wave of protests, major demonstrations related to education and the cost of living have also been taking place elsewhere in Europe. — ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026 The town was among the places hit hardest by the rioting and looting that erupted across France over the weekend, leaving the country reeling from its worst violence in years. — Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reeling
  1. giddy
  2. spinning
  3. staggering
  4. dizzy
  5. lurching
  6. whirling
  7. weaving
Adjective
  • Mark Zuckerberg and Dario Amodei aren’t giddy consumers whose spending cools when borrowing gets expensive.
    — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 20 Oct. 2026
  • It couple, seemingly giddy with excitement (how very Kenneth of him).
    — Kelsey Stewart, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of giddy
Verb
  • Pepsi's relationship with Taco Bell and KFC parent Yum Brands spans decades, back to when the beverage giant owned the restaurant chains before spinning them into a separate public company in 1997.
    — Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The company uses a proprietary two-step process that first removes gums and other noncellulosic components from raw hemp fiber, then refines the material for spinning on equipment already used to process cotton and synthetic fibers.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of spinning
Verb
  • The decision to set that tone staggering through all 10 minutes of the extended cut might scan as raw inspiration, placing Spacemen 3 on a narrow band from La Monte Young and Terry Riley to some brilliant dro)))ne future.
    — Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
  • As the deli’s surveillance video rolled, his client went from calmly standing at the counter with a bottle of Gatorade to staggering to the floor, clutching his leg and tearing at his pants.
    — Alison J. Stein, HubSpot, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of staggering
Adjective
  • To that end, there are questions about whether Mayich and his teammates had access to sufficient water and the degree of attention ASU paid to his initial symptoms, including feeling dizzy.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Back in June, Richie cut a performance short after speaking on stage about feeling dizzy, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported at the time.
    — Jack Irvin, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of dizzy
Verb
  • After a handful of supremely mellow releases that blended lurching ’90s breakbeats with wintry, Mazzy Star-like songwriting, their third album dives into a vat of mercurial distortion and slippery, all-consuming bass.
    — Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Irvine, who was commuting home from his job as a technician in a dark blue Volkswagen hatchback, came to an abrupt stop in free-flowing traffic, lurching to the far-right lane.
    — Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of lurching
Adjective
  • The magnetar was initially surrounded by a whirling disk of matter, funneling from its inner edge onto the stellar remnant.
    — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 11 Mar. 2026
Definition of whirling
Verb
  • Combat sequences, set in the Pacific theater and filmed in Australia, look expansive and authentic, weaving around hundreds of soldiers running and shouting and shooting at once.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The process was particularly intricate, as each interlacing detail on the bodice had to be carefully constructed by weaving hundreds of meters of rouleau and while maintaining the tension and precision of the corsetry underneath.
    — Shelby Wax, Vogue, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of weaving

Browse Nearby Words

reeled off
reeling
reeling off
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Cite this Entry

“Reeling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reeling. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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