From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcoilcoil1 /kɔɪl/ ●○○ (also coil up) verb [intransitive, transitive] BENDto wind or twist into a series of rings, or to make something do this The snake coiled around the branches of the tree. Her long hair was coiled up in a plait at the top of her head. He coiled the rope. —coiled adjective [only before noun]→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
coil• He stood for a while watching the headlights coil down the canyon road.• A student discovered the 12-foot python coiled in a corner of the classroom.• Rachel didn't like the tension coiling in her stomach at the thought of that.• As she hurried to grab a taxi to the hotel she could feel her stomach coiling into knots of dread.• Wrap the bar with heavy string, coiling it tightly for safety.• Quickly coiling the bow line, he raised the main, then back to the cockpit.• It took a minute to turn the handle 60 times and fully coil the spring.• He bumbled around for a bit, trying to coil up the string and push the wood into tidy heaps.coilcoil2 noun [countable] 1 CFa continuous series of circular rings into which something such as wire or rope has been wound or twistedcoil of a coil of rope2 one ring of wire, rope etc in a continuous series3 TEEa wire or a metal tube in a continuous circular shape that produces light or heat when electricity is passed through it the coil in a light bulb4 TTCthe part of a car engine that sends electricity to the spark plugs5 SYa contraceptive that is a flat curved piece of metal or plastic that is fitted inside a woman’s uterus SYN IUDExamples from the Corpus
coil• I pinned the braids in a coil on top of the waved cap of hair.• Condenser coils are the tubes under or behind the refrigerator that carry coolant to the refrigeration unit.• There should be frost all over the freezer coil.• The snake wrapped its coils around her.• Massive coils atop the building hissed and cracked through the day, but the doors never opened.• Twist the wire round the foot so that it sits tightly, forming a protective coil around the tubular feet.• It is linked to the magnetic field of the transmitted wave - not the turns of the coil.• Ever use one of those coils around Halloween time?coil of• The embassy building is surrounded by high walls topped with coils of barbed wire.Origin coil1 (1500-1600) Old French coillir, cuillir “to gather” 