cable

[ key-buhl ]

/ ˈkeɪ bəl /

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See synonyms for cable on Thesaurus.com

noun

a heavy, strong rope.

a very strong rope made of strands of metal wire, as used to support cable cars or suspension bridges.

a cord of metal wire used to operate or pull a mechanism.

Nautical.

a thick hawser made of rope, strands of metal wire, or chain.
cable's length.

Electricity. an insulated electrical conductor, often in strands, or a combination of electrical conductors insulated from one another.

cablegram.

cable television.

cable-stitch.

Architecture. one of a number of reedings set into the flutes of a column or pilaster.

verb (used with object), ca·bled, ca·bling.

to send (a message) by cable.

to send a cablegram to.

to fasten with a cable.

to furnish with a cable.

to join (cities, parts of a country, etc.) by means of a cable television network: The state will be completely cabled in a few years.

verb (used without object), ca·bled, ca·bling.

to send a message by cable.

to cable-stitch.

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Origin of cable

1175–1225; Middle English, probably <Old North French *cable<Late Latin capulum lasso; compare Latin capulāre to rope, halter (cattle), akin to capere to take

OTHER WORDS FROM cable

ca·ble·like, adjectivere·ca·ble, verb, re·ca·bled, re·ca·bling.un·ca·bled, adjective

Words nearby cable

cabinetwood, cabinetwork, cabin fever, cabin hook, Cabiri, cable, cable bend, cable box, cable buoy, cable car, cablecast

Other definitions for cable (2 of 2)

Cable

[ key-buhl ]

/ ˈkeɪ bəl /

noun

George Washington, 1844–1925, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cable in a sentence

The matchup, aired on ESPN and NBC, became the most-viewed golf event in cable TV history, and the highest-rated golf broadcast on network TV in 30 years.
Tiger Woods Once Beat Rocco Mediate On A Broken Leg. He Says Now: Don't Count Tiger Out|Sean Gregory|February 26, 2021|Time
Top this best adjustable desk for customization with a simple flat board or add drawers, cabinets, shelves, a hook for hanging your headphones and attachments for keeping your cables in order.
Best adjustable desks: Stand or sit with double-duty office furniture|PopSci Commerce Team|February 26, 2021|Popular-Science
It might, for instance, deter consumers from keeping their basic cable or Showtime subscriptions.
For ViacomCBS, another Paramount Plus challenge: How to hold on to old money while pursuing the new|Steven Zeitchik|February 25, 2021|Washington Post
I thought I would be able to ski across the cables, but when my ski edges hit the first one, I fell.
The Historic Ski Descent of Half Dome|Chris Van Leuven|February 25, 2021|Outside Online

New shows from Tyler Perry, “The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah and a prequel to the cable hit “Yellowstone” are also in the offing, as it a host of new reality series and All Access’s existing news and sports.
With Paramount Plus, ViacomCBS marshals new weapons in the streaming wars|Steven Zeitchik|February 25, 2021|Washington Post
Almost all of the network and cable news channels said that they would not be showing the cartoons either.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Well, one expert I talked to said that physically it involves little more than a $20 cable.
Red Tape and Black Boxes: Why We Keep ‘Losing’ Airliners in 2014|Clive Irving|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But then, this show has always been more than just the parody of right-wing cable punditry it was originally made out to be.
The End of Truthiness: Stephen Colbert’s Sublime Finale|Noel Murray|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hart Electric LLC An Illinois- based manufacturer of electrical components, and H.I. Cable.
The 26 Next Hobby Lobbys|Abby Haglage|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
HBOGo has become such a massive success for cable network HBO that they will start to offer the service as a stand-alone option.
Binge Watching is the New Bonding Time|The Daily Beast|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I plainly heard a noise upon the cover of my closet like that of a cable, and the grating of it as it passed through the ring.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
That he laughed at their folly, and went himself in the boat, ordering his men to take a strong cable along with them.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
The second cable quotes mine of last night wherein I ask leave to call for the East Lancs.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
Neither of us has had a reply to his cable; instead, he has been told two enemy submarines are on their way to pay us a visit.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
The Spanish authorities had just time before this measure was taken to report the bare facts to Madrid by cable.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman

British Dictionary definitions for cable

cable

/ (ˈkeɪbəl) /

noun

a strong thick rope, usually of twisted hemp or steel wire

nautical an anchor chain or rope

a unit of distance in navigation, equal to one tenth of a sea mile (about 600 feet)
Also called: cable length, cable's length a unit of length in nautical use that has various values, including 100 fathoms (600 feet)

a wire or bundle of wires that conducts electricitya submarine cable See also coaxial cable

Also called: overseas telegram, international telegram, cablegram a telegram sent abroad by submarine cable, radio, communications satellite, or by telephone line

See cable stitch

short for cable television

verb

to send (a message) to (someone) by cable

(tr) to fasten or provide with a cable or cables

(tr) to supply (a place) with or link (a place) to cable television

Word Origin for cable

C13: from Old Norman French, from Late Latin capulum halter

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

cable

Origin of cable

OTHER WORDS FROM cable

Words nearby cable

Other definitions for cable (2 of 2)

Words related to cable

How to use cable in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cable

Word Origin for cable