unspool

verb

un·​spool ˌən-ˈspül How to pronounce unspool (audio)
unspooled; unspooling; unspools

transitive verb

1
: to unwind from a spool
unspool the cable
2
: to execute or present artfully or gracefully
unspooled a jump shot
unspooling an intricate tale

intransitive verb

: to be presented or revealed on or as if on a movie screen

Examples of unspool in a Sentence

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.
Advertisement Advertisement The story is ingeniously—or pretentiously, depending on your mood—constructed to unspool backward, beginning with the third act and ending with the first. Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 6 June 2025 That must have been really challenging to unspool as well. Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 23 May 2025 Both shows highlight her singular ability to unspool memory, migration and material. Elly Fishman, New York Times, 22 May 2025 The characters in Kazuo Ishiguro’s novels have a tendency to unspool when faced with their Rube Goldberg prompt to do so, the three-act nature of their memories ripe for successful cinema adaptation. Blake Simons, IndieWire, 17 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for unspool

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unspool was in 1940

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unspool.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unspool. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on unspool

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!