reeling
Dizzy and swaying
Reeling describes unsteady movement, as if about to fall.
Someone reeling from a punch staggers backward.
The meaning extends to psychological disorientation: The company is still reeling from the scandal.
Separately, reeling refers to winding something onto a reel—fishing line, film, thread—or the action of drawing something in: He reeled in a trout.
Sensation of spinning
- lightheadedFaint and unsteady feeling
- unsteadyLacking balance or stability
- disorientedLacking sense of direction
- woozyDizzy and confused
wobbly · staggering · swaying · teetering · giddy · faint · nauseous · queasy
Thin rigid stick
- lineContinuous mark or queue
- castPerformers, throw, or splint
- spoolCylinder for winding material
- dragResistance through fluid
fly-fishing · angler · tackle · catch · winding · unwinding · cranking · retrieve
Shocked into speechlessness
- staggeredShocked or unevenly spaced
- bewilderedThoroughly puzzled and confused
- astonishedGreatly shocked, overwhelmed
- thunderstruckExtremely shocked or amazed
aghast · flabbergasted · shaken · overwhelmed · devastated · recoiling · rattled · jolted
Rotating swiftly in place
- twirlingRapid circular motion
- gyratingRotating rapidly, spiraling
- rotatingTurning on an axis
- swirlingTurning in curves
spiraling · turning · circling · revolving · pirouetting · head-spinning · dizzying · vertiginous
vertigo
Sensation of spinning
- lightheadedFaint and unsteady feeling
- unsteadyLacking balance or stability
- disorientedLacking sense of direction
woozy · wobbly · staggering · swaying · teetering · giddy · faint · nauseous · queasy · tipsy
rod
Thin rigid stick
drag · fly-fishing · angler · tackle · catch · winding · unwinding · cranking · retrieve · baitcasting
stunned
Shocked into speechlessness
- staggeredShocked or unevenly spaced
- bewilderedThoroughly puzzled and confused
- astonishedGreatly shocked, overwhelmed
thunderstruck · aghast · flabbergasted · shaken · overwhelmed · devastated · recoiling · rattled · jolted · startled
whirling
Rotating swiftly in place
swirling · spiraling · turning · circling · revolving · pirouetting · head-spinning · dizzying · vertiginous
- fishing techniquescasting, trolling, drifting
- disorientationconfusion, dizziness, vertigo, bewilderment, daze
- erratic motionthrashing, flailing, jerking, lurching, twitching
- giddinessdizziness, lightheadedness, silliness, giggles, laughter
- Silkraw silk, silk fabric, silk thread, silk yarn, silk textiles
- dizzinessdizziness, dizzy spell, lightheadedness, vertigo, wooziness
reelingrecovering
Regaining health or strength
rebounding · bouncing back · regrouping · rallying · stabilizing
- reeling inRecovering via spool
- reeling offReciting quickly, effortlessly