spin

verb (spins, spinning, spun)

1》 turn or cause to turn round quickly.

    ↘(of a person's head) give a sensation of dizziness.

    ↘chiefly Cricket (with reference to a ball) move or cause to move through the air with a revolving motion.

    ↘shape (sheet metal) by pressure applied during rotation on a lathe.

2》 draw out and twist (the fibres of wool, cotton, or other material) to convert them into yarn.

    ↘make (threads) in this way.

    ↘(of a spider, silkworm, etc.) produce (gossamer or silk) or construct (a web or cocoon) by extruding a fine viscous thread from a special gland.

3》 (spin something out) make something last as long as possible.

4》 (spin out) N. Amer. (of a driver or car) lose control in a skid.

5》 (spin something off) (of a parent company) turn a subsidiary into a new and separate company.

6》 informal give (a news story) a particular emphasis or bias.

7》 fish with a spinner.

noun

1》 a spinning motion.

    ↘a fast revolving motion of an aircraft as it descends rapidly.

    ↘Physics the intrinsic angular momentum of a subatomic particle.

2》 informal a brief trip in a vehicle for pleasure.

3》 the presentation of information in a particular way, especially a favourable one.

4》 Austral./NZ informal a piece of good or bad luck.

Phrases

flat spin

1》 a spin in which an aircraft descends in tight circles while remaining horizontal.

2》 Brit. informal a state of agitation.

spin one's wheels N. Amer. informal waste one's time or efforts.

spin a yarn tell a long, far-fetched story.

Origin

OE spinnan 'draw out and twist (fibre)'.