View synonyms for

reeling

[ ree-ling ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

staggering or swaying; unable to walk straight because of a blow, intoxication, etc.:
It seemed as if a reeling, drunken giant had set the route for the race—it was so full of twists and turns.
in a state of mental or emotional shock; overwhelmed:
As a reeling nation mourns its dead, investigators are trying to determine whether anyone was aware of the homicidal plan.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of reeling¹

reel ²( def ) + -ing ²( def )

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The University of California system was already reeling from massive federal funding cuts, student visa cancellations and Justice Department probes into admissions and allegations of antisemitism.

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With more than a billion people, it also has a huge domestic market that could take some of the pressure off exporters who are reeling from tariffs.

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Ostapenko raced to victory in emphatic style by reeling off five games in a row.

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Her cousin, Daniel, says everyone's still reeling from news of her death.

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But the country is still reeling from the latest one: emergency tariffs imposed on every country in the world, including islands inhabited primarily by penguins.

From

reel-fed reel man

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