unspool
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
To play; to be screened.
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
Let all the films of Keaton and Wenders unspool blackly across your mind like the negative of the white line still unspooling down a road in God's imagination, long after the end of his road movie of the end of the world.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “unspool” mean?
To play; to be screened.
Is “unspool” formal or informal?
unspool is generally slang.