Search results for 'spin':

spin verb (past tense, past participle spun, present participle spinning) 1 tr & intr to rotate or cause to rotate repeatedly, especially quickly • We spun a coin to see who would go first. 2 to draw out and twist (fibres, etc) into thread. 3 a said of spiders, silkworms, etc: to construct (a web, cocoon, etc) from the silky thread they produce; b to tell (lies) • spun a complex web of lies. 4 a to bowl, throw, kick, strike, etc (a ball) so that it rotates while moving forward, causing a change in the expected direction or speed; b said of a ball, etc: to be delivered in this way. 5 intrans said of someone's head, etc: to have a revolving and disorientated sensation, especially one that is brought on by excitement, amazement, drugs or alcohol, etc. 6 to dry (washing) in a spin-dryer. 7 said of the wheels of a motor vehicle: to turn rapidly but without any forward momentum. 8 to play (a record, CD, cassette, etc) • a station that spins mainly indie stuff. noun 1 an act or process of spinning or a spinning motion. 2 rotation in a ball thrown, struck, etc. 3 a nose-first spiral descent in an aircraft, especially one that is out of control. Also called tailspin. 4 colloq a short trip in a vehicle, for pleasure. 5 colloq an act of playing a record, etc. 6 said of information, a news report, etc, especially that of a political nature: a favourable bias • The PR department will put a spin on it.spinning noun, adj. spin a yarn, tale, etc to tell a story, especially a long improbable one.
ETYMOLOGY: Anglo-Saxon spinnan.