spin

UK: /ˈspɪn/ US: /spɪn/ ,(spin)

Inflections of 'spin' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

spins

v 3rd person singular

spinning

v pres p

spun

v past

span

v past (mainly UK)

spun

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

spin /spɪn/   v., spun/spʌn/  spin•ning, n. 
v. 

1. Textiles to make (yarn) by drawing out, twisting, and winding fibers: [~ + object]
   to spin thread.
   [no object]
   spinning in the afternoon sun.
2. Textiles to form (the fibers of any material) into thread or yarn:
   [~ + object] to spin wool into yarn.
3. Animal Behavior to produce (a thread, web, etc.) by giving off from the body a substance that hardens in the air:
   [~ + object] The spider spun its web.
4. to (cause to) rotate rapidly;
   twirl;
   whirl: [~ + object]
   to spin a coin on a table.
   [no object]
   The coin spun on the tabletop for a moment.
5. to produce or invent in a manner like spinning thread:
   [~ + object] He spun a fantastic tale about his childhood.
6. to make longer than necessary: [~ + object + out]
   She spun the project out for over three years.
   [~ + out + object]
   She had spun out the project for over three years.
7. to move or travel rapidly:
   [no object] The messenger spun out the door.
8. to have a sensation of whirling;
   reel:
   [no object] My head began to spin.
9. spin off, [~ + off + object] to create or devise using something already existing:
   The producers took the character of the uncle and spun off another TV series.

n. [countable]

10. the act of causing a spinning or whirling motion:
    She gave the coin a quick spin.
11. a spinning motion or movement:
    We never notice the spin of the earth.
12. a downward movement or trend, esp. one that is sudden, alarming, etc.:
    The economy is in another bad spin.
13. a short ride or drive for pleasure:
    Let's take the new car out for a spin.
14. Government [Slang.] a particular viewpoint or bias, esp. in the news;
    slant:
    After the presidential debates each side put its favorable spin on the results.

Idioms

15. Idioms spin one's wheels, to waste one's efforts.

spin•ner, n. [countable]
spin•ning, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

spin  (spin), v., spun or (Archaic) span, spun, spin•ning, n. 
v.t. 

1. Textiles to make (yarn) by drawing out, twisting, and winding fibers:
   Pioneer women spun yarn on spinning wheels.
2. Textiles to form (the fibers of any material) into thread or yarn:
   The machine spins nylon thread.
3. Animal Behavior (of spiders, silkworms, etc.) to produce (a thread, cobweb, gossamer, silk, etc.) by extruding from the body a long, slender filament of a natural viscous matter that hardens in the air.
4. to cause to turn around rapidly, as on an axis;
   twirl;
   whirl:
   to spin a coin on a table.
5. Sound Reproduction, Informal Terms [Informal.] to play (phonograph records):
   a job spinning records on a radio show.
6. Metallurgy to shape (sheet metal) into a hollow, rounded form by pressure from a tool while rotating the metal on a lathe or wheel.
7. to produce, fabricate, or evolve in a manner suggestive of spinning thread:
   to spin a tale of sailing ships and bygone days.
8. Rocketry to cause intentionally (a rocket or guided missile) to undergo a roll.
9. to draw out, protract, or prolong (often fol. by out):
   He spun the project out for over three years.
10. British Terms to flunk a student in an examination or a term's work.
11. Slang Terms to cause to have a particular bias;
    influence in a certain direction:
    His assignment was to spin the reporters after the president's speech.

v.i. 

12. to revolve or rotate rapidly, as the earth or a top.
13. to produce a thread from the body, as spiders or silkworms.
14. Textiles to produce yarn or thread by spinning.
15. to move, go, run, ride, or travel rapidly.
16. to have a sensation of whirling;
    reel:
    My head began to spin and I fainted.
17. Sport to fish with a spinning or revolving bait.
18. spin off:
    • to create something new, as a company or assets, without detracting from or affecting the relative size or stability of the original:
      After the acquisition, the company was required to spin off about a third of its assets.
    • to derive from or base on something done previously:
      They took the character of the maid and spun off another TV series.
19. spin one's wheels. See wheel (def. 17).
20. Automotive spin out, (of an automobile) to undergo a spinout.

n. 

21. the act of causing a spinning or whirling motion.
22. a spinning motion given to a ball, wheel, axle, or other object.
23. a downward movement or trend, esp. one that is sudden, alarming, etc.:
    Steel prices went into a spin.
24. a rapid run, ride, drive, or the like, as for exercise or enjoyment:
    They went for a spin in the car.
25. Slang Terms a particular viewpoint or bias, esp. in the media;
    slant:
    They tried to put a favorable spin on the news coverage of the controversial speech.
26. Aeronautics Also called tailspin, tail spin. a maneuver in which an airplane descends in a vertical direction along a helical path of large pitch and small radius at an angle of attack greater than the critical angle, dangerous when not done intentionally or under control.
27. Rocketry
    • the act of intentionally causing a rocket or guided missile to undergo a roll.
    • a roll so caused.
28. Physics the intrinsic angular momentum characterizing each kind of elementary particle, having one of the values 0, 1⁄2, 1, 3⁄2, … when measured in units of Planck's constant divided by 2π.
29. British Terms [Australian.] a run of luck;
    fate.

• bef. 900; Middle English spinnen to spin yarn, Old English spinnan; cognate with Dutch, German spinnen, Old Norse spinna, Gothic spinnan

spin′na•bil′i•ty, n. 
spin′na•ble, adj. 
Synonyms

• 7. develop, narrate, relate.
• 9. extend, lengthen.
• 11. gyrate. See turn. 

spin, +v.t. 

1. Slang Terms to cause to have a particular bias;
   influence in a certain direction:
   His assignment was to spin the reporters after the president's speech.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

spin / spɪn/ verb (spins, spinning, spun)

1. to rotate or cause to rotate rapidly, as on an axis
2. to draw out and twist (natural fibres, as of silk or cotton) into a long continuous thread
3. to make such a thread or filament from (synthetic resins, etc), usually by forcing through a nozzle
4. (of spiders, silkworms, etc) to form (webs, cocoons, etc) from a silky fibre exuded from the body
5. (transitive) to shape (metal) into a rounded form on a lathe
6. (transitive) to tell (a tale, story, etc) by drawing it out at great length (esp in the phrase spin a yarn)
7. to bowl, pitch, hit, or kick (a ball) so that it rotates in the air and changes direction or speed on bouncing, or (of a ball) to be projected in this way
8. (intransitive) (of wheels) to revolve rapidly without causing propulsion
9. to cause (an aircraft) to dive in a spiral descent or (of an aircraft) to dive in a spiral descent
10. (intransitive) followed by along: to drive or travel swiftly
11. Also: spin-dry (transitive) to rotate (clothes) in a spin-dryer in order to extract surplus water
12. (intransitive) to reel or grow dizzy, as from turning around: my head is spinning
13. (intransitive) to fish by drawing a revolving lure through the water
14. (transitive) to present (news or information) in a way that creates a favourable impression

noun

1. a swift rotating motion; instance of spinning
2. the intrinsic angular momentum of an elementary particle or atomic nucleus, as distinguished from any angular momentum resulting from its motion
3. a quantum number determining values of this angular momentum in units of the Dirac constant, having integral or half-integral values
4. a condition of loss of control of an aircraft or an intentional flight manoeuvre in which the aircraft performs a continuous spiral descent because the angle of maximum lift is less than the angle of incidence
5. a spinning motion imparted to a ball, etc
6. flat spin ⇒ a state of agitation or confusion
7. on the spin ⇒ one after another: they have lost two finals on the spin

Etymology: Old English spinnan; related to Old Norse spinna, Old High German spinnan to spin, Lithuanian pinu to braid