What does "cable" mean?
A long object used to make a physical connection.; A strong, large-diameter wire or rope, or something resembling such a rope.
Cable
/ˈkeɪ.bəl/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A long object used to make a physical connection.; A strong, large-diameter wire or rope, or something resembling such a rope.
- Grammar: cable is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: line, armored cable, battery cable, bell wire.
- Useful contrasts: detach, disconnect, loosen.
- Usage evidence: The profane language used on network television makes many parents with young children not want to subscribe to cable.
How to use "cable"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "cable" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "cable" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "cable" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "cable" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "cable" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "line" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "cable", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A long object used to make a physical connection.; A strong, large-diameter wire or rope, or something resembling such a rope. material
- 2 a very strong thick rope made of twisted hemp or steel wire wordnet
- 3 A long object used to make a physical connection.; An assembly of two or more cable-laid ropes. material
- 4 a television system that transmits over cables wordnet
- 5 A long object used to make a physical connection.; An assembly of two or more wires, used for electrical power or data circuits; one or more and/or the whole may be insulated. material
Show 13 more definitions
- 6 a conductor for transmitting electrical or optical signals or electric power wordnet
- 7 A long object used to make a physical connection.; A strong rope or chain used to moor or anchor a ship. material
"“And now the time of tide has come; the ship casts off her cables; and from the deserted wharf the uncheered ship for Tarshish, all careening, glides to sea."
- 8 a telegram sent abroad wordnet
- 9 A system for transmitting television or Internet services over a network of coaxial or fibreoptic cables.
"I tried to watch the movie last night but my cable was out."
- 10 television that is transmitted over cable directly to the receiver wordnet
- 11 A system for transmitting television or Internet services over a network of coaxial or fibreoptic cables.; Ellipsis of cable television, broadcast over the above network, not by antenna. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 12 a nautical unit of depth wordnet
- 13 A telegram, notably when sent by (submarine) telegraph cable.
- 14 A unit of length equal to one tenth of a nautical mile.
- 15 100 fathoms, 600 imperial feet, approximately 185 m.
- 16 The currency pair British Pound against United States Dollar.
- 17 A moulding, shaft of a column, or any other member of convex, rounded section, made to resemble the spiral twist of a rope.
- 18 A textural pattern achieved by passing groups of stitches over one another.
Verb
- 1 To provide (something) with cable(s). transitive
- 2 send cables, wires, or telegrams wordnet
- 3 To fasten (something) (as if) with cable(s). transitive
- 4 fasten with a cable wordnet
- 5 To wrap (wires) to form a cable. transitive
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 To send (a telegram, news, etc.) by cable. transitive
"Details of a bottle fight in El Morocco were cabled all over the world."
- 7 To communicate by cable. intransitive
- 8 To ornament (something) with cabling. transitive
- 9 To create cable stitches. intransitive
"You've been cabling, twisting, popcorning and bobbling. See, we told you that they weren't so hard."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname from Anglo-Norman. countable, uncountable
- 2 A place in the United States:; A census-designated place in Richland Grove Township, Mercer County, Illinois. countable, uncountable
- 3 A place in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Haven Township, Sherburne County, Minnesota. countable, uncountable
- 4 A place in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Wayne Township, Champaign County, Ohio. countable, uncountable
- 5 A place in the United States:; A town and census-designated place therein, in Bayfield County, Wisconsin. countable, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"The profane language used on network television makes many parents with young children not want to subscribe to cable."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "cable"?
Common synonyms include: line, armored cable, battery cable, bell wire, braid, brail.
How do you use "cable" in a sentence?
The profane language used on network television makes many parents with young children not want to subscribe to cable.
How do you pronounce "cable"?
Pronounced /ˈkeɪ.bəl/.
Etymology
Recorded since c.1205 as Middle English cable, from Old Northern French cable, from Late Latin capulum (“lasso, rope, halter”), from Latin capiō (“to take, seize”). Use of the term "cable" to refer to the USD/GBP exchange rate originated in the mid-19th century, when the exchange rate began to be transmitted across the Atlantic by a submarine communications cable.