spin

Pronunciation: /spɪn/

Definition of spin

1turn or whirl round quickly: [no object]:the girl spun round in alarm the rear wheels spun violently [with object]:he fiddled with the radio, spinning the dial
[no object] (of a person’s head) give a sensation of dizziness:the figures were enough to make her head spin
[with object] toss (a coin).
chiefly Cricket (with reference to a ball) move or cause to move through the air with a revolving motion: [no object]:the ball spun in viciously [with object]:they had to spin the ball wide
[with object] spin-dry (clothes).
[with object] play (a record): a disc jockey spins hits from the sixties
[with object] shape (sheet metal) by pressure applied during rotation on a lathe: (as adjective spun)spun metal components

2 [with object] draw out and twist (the fibres of wool, cotton, or other material) to convert them into yarn, either by hand or with machinery:they spin wool into the yarn for weaving (as adjective spun)spun glass
make (threads) by drawing out and twisting fibres of wool, cotton, or other material:this method is used to spin filaments from syrups
(of a spider or a silkworm or other insect) produce (gossamer or silk) or construct (a web or cocoon) by extruding a fine viscous thread from a special gland.

3 [with object] give (a news story) a particular emphasis or bias: ministers may now find it difficult to use the programme to spin stories in their favour

1a rapid turning or whirling motion:he concluded the dance with a double spin
[mass noun] revolving motion imparted to a ball in a game, especially cricket, tennis, or snooker:this racket enables the player to impart more spin to the ball
[usually in singular] an uncontrolled fast revolving descent of an aircraft, resulting from a stall:he tried to stop the plane from going into a spin
[mass noun, usually as modifier] trademarkshort for spinning².an hour-long spin class spin can be tough but it’s the best cardio/muscle workout
Physics the intrinsic angular momentum of a subatomic particle.

2 [in singular] informal a brief trip in a vehicle for pleasure:a spin around town

3 [in singular] the presentation of information in a particular way; a slant, especially a favourable one:he tried to put a positive spin on the president’s campaign [mass noun]:he was sick and tired of the Government’s control freakery and spin

4 [with adjective, in singular] Australian/NZ informal a piece of good or bad luck:Kevin had had a rough spin

Phrases

spin something off: (of a parent company) turn a subsidiary into a new and separate company: the corporation announced plans to spin off its computer systems arm
spin out: North American (of a driver or car) lose control, especially in a skid: he oversteered on the correction, then lost it entirely and spun out
spin something out

Old English spinnan 'draw out and twist (fibre'); related to German spinnen. The noun dates from the mid 19th century

Definition of spin in the US English dictionary