spin
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spin¹
- /spɪn/
Rhymes with -ɪn
Where it comes from
From Middle English spinnen, from Old English spinnan, from Proto-Germanic *spinnaną, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)penh₁-.
Cognates
Cognate with Dutch, German spinnen (“to spin”), Luxembourgish spannen (“to spin”), Yiddish שפּינען (shpinen, “spin”), Danish spinde (“to spin”), Faroese, Icelandic and Swedish spinna (“to spin”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk spinne (“to spin”), Gothic 𐍃𐍀𐌹𐌽𐌽𐌰𐌽 (spinnan, “to spin”).
verb spins · spinning · spun · span · spinned
- To rotate, revolve, gyrate (usually quickly); to partially or completely rotate to face another direction. I spun myself around a few times.
- To enter, or remain in, a spin (abnormal stalled flight mode).
- To cause one's aircraft to enter or remain in a spin (abnormal stalled flight mode).
- To make yarn by twisting and winding fibers together. They spin the cotton into thread.
-
To present, describe, or interpret, or to introduce a bias or slant, so as to give something a favorable or advantageous appearance.
But because he is but briefe, and these things of great consequence not to be kept obscure, I shall conceave it nothing above my duty either for the difficulty or the censure that may passe thereon, to communicate such thoughts as I also have had, and do offer them now in this generall labour of ref
Similar: whitewash, sugarcoat, put lipstick on, gild, blandish, dress up
- To make the ball move sideways when it bounces on the pitch. This pitch is usually preferred for spin than pace.
- To move sideways when bouncing. Spinning the ball gave him figures of 7-48.
- To form into thin strips or ribbons, as with sugar.
- To form (a web, a cocoon, silk, etc.) from threads produced by the extrusion of a viscid, transparent liquid, which hardens on coming into contact with the air; said of the spider, the silkworm, etc. I spin a thread that you can't see / A web of thoughts best left unclean
- To shape, as malleable sheet metal, into a hollow form, by bending or buckling it by pressing against it with a smooth hand tool or roller while the metal revolves, as in a lathe.
- To move swiftly. to spin along the road in a carriage, on a bicycle, etc.
- To stream or issue in a thread or a small current or jet. Blood spins from a vein.
- To wait in a loop until some condition becomes true.
- To rotate into the gravel or managing to remain on the straight as a result of bad weather. His car spun in the rains just after finishing lap four.
- To play (vinyl records, etc.) as a disc jockey. However, for the past six years he has been spinning his novel blend of progressive house and trance music and is finally on the brink of becoming the next luminary DJ.
- To use an exercise bicycle, especially as part of a gym class.
- To ride a bicycle at a fast cadence.
- To search rapidly. But then again, unless someone struck lucky in those first few hours, there weren't even enough detectives to spin a drum [house].
-
To draw out tediously; prolong.
to spin a yarn
Similar: spin out
- To fish with a swivel or spoonbait.
- To reject at an examination; to fail (a student).
noun spins
- Circular motion, usually rapid. The car went into a spin.
- A state of confusion or disorientation. My mind was in a spin.
- A quantum angular momentum associated with subatomic particles, which also creates a magnetic moment.
- A novel, creative variation of an existing thing or type; a twist. The media has been having a field day not only with the usual tired homophobic innuendos (which one has come to expect) but with new spins on queer bashing that might even seem inventive if they were not so hateful.
- A favourable comment or interpretation intended to bias opinion on an otherwise unpleasant situation. spin doctor
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Rotation of the ball as it flies through the air; sideways movement of the ball as it bounces.
Similar: swazz
- A condition of flight where a stalled aircraft is simultaneously pitching, yawing, and rolling in a spinning motion.
- An abnormal condition in journal bearings where the bearing seizes to the rotating shaft and rotates inside the journal, destroying both the shaft and the journal.
- A brief trip by vehicle, especially one made for pleasure. I'm off out for a spin in my new sports car.
- A bundle of spun material; a mass of strands and filaments. She left him alone, and went to get Annie a spin of toffee.
- A single play of a record; especially, one broadcast by a radio station. Let's give this classic LP another spin.
- A search of a prisoner's cell for forbidden articles. Mr Weedon explains that this is a cell search - known by prisoners as a spin - and for obvious reasons it has to be carried out without any warning.
- An unmarried woman; a spinster. 1893, Bithia Mary Croker, "To Let" in "To Let" etc., Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott, 1906, p. 1, https://archive.org/details/toletcroker00crok Some years ago, when I was a slim young spin, I came out to India to live with my brother Tom […]
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The use of an exercise bicycle, especially as part of a gym class.
Similar: spinning
spin²
- /spɪn/
Rhymes with -ɪn
Where it comes from
Clipping of spinnaker.
noun spins
- Clipping of spinnaker “Frank!” Joe yelled. “Run the spin halyard to the cabin-top winch and pass me the free end!”
spin³
- /spɪn/
Rhymes with -ɪn
Where it comes from
Clipping of special interest.
noun spins · SpIn
-
A special interest of an autistic person.
berdly if your friends were homestuck characters who would they be. //sorry autism wants me dead, berdlys my fav character and hs is my spin. you will never heard the end of it from me
Similar: spinterest
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: tailspin, gyrate, birl, whirl, twist, twisting, tell, spin out, recount, recite, narrate, reel, twirl, spin around, swivel, pivot
Translations
Every language
verb to turn around quickly
| Español | girar, rotar, dar vueltas |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 회전하다 hoejeonhada |
| 日本語 | 回転する kaiten suru |
| 中文 | 轉動 /转动 zhuǎndòng, 自轉 /自转 zìzhuàn |
| Português | girar, rodar |
| Français | tournoyer, pivoter rapidement |
| Deutsch | rotieren, schleudern |
| Italiano | girare, far girare, ruotare, piroettare, testacoda |
| Ελληνικά | περιστρέφω peristréfo |
| Română | învârti |
| Русский | верте́ться vertétʹsja, крути́ться krutítʹsja, враща́ться vraščátʹsja, вертеть vertetʹ, крутить krutitʹ, вращать vraščatʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | quay |
| עברית | הסתובב histovév |
verb to make yarn
| Español | hilar |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 紡ぐ tsumugu |
| 中文 | 紡 /纺 fǎng |
| Kiswahili | kusokota |
| Português | fiar |
| Français | filer |
| Deutsch | spinnen |
| Italiano | filare |
| Română | toarce |
| Русский | прясть prjastʹ, спрясть sprjastʹ, сучи́ть sučítʹ |
| العربية | رَدَنَ radana, غَزَلَ ḡazala, اِغْتَزَلَ iḡtazala, فَتَلَ fatala |
verb to present a bias
| Español | dorar la píldora, pintar bonito, endulzar |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | schönreden, positiv darstellen, beschönigen |
| Русский | искажа́ть смысл iskažátʹ smysl |
verb to move sideways when bouncing
| Português | pinotar |
|---|
verb of spider, silkworm etc: to form from thread
| Português | tecer |
|---|
verb informal: to play vinyl records
| Español | pinchar |
|---|
noun rotation of a ball in motion
| Español | rosca, ajuaishte |
|---|---|
| Français | effet, brossage |
| Deutsch | Drall |
| Italiano | effetto |
noun circular motion
| Español | vuelta, giro |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 回転 kaiten, スピン supin |
| Português | giro, volta |
| Français | tour |
| Italiano | testacoda |
| Русский | враще́ние vraščénije |
noun physics: quantum angular momentum
| Español | espín |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | スピン supin |
| 中文 | 自旋 zìxuán |
| हिन्दी | प्रचक्रण pracakraṇ |
| Português | spin |
| Français | spin, tournoiement |
| Deutsch | Spin |
| Ελληνικά | ιδιοστροφορμή idiostroformí |
| Русский | спин spin |
noun favourable comment or interpretation
| Español | sesgo positivo |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Zurechtlegung, Beschönigung, Schönfärberei, passende Auslegung |
| Русский | приукрашивание priukrašivanije |
| עברית | הסברה hasbará |
noun brief trip
| Español | vuelta |
|---|---|
| Português | volta |
| Deutsch | Spritztour |
Talk about this word "spin." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/spin. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026. spin. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/spin "spin." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 5, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/spin.
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@misc{spin_2026,
title = {spin},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/spin},
urldate = {2026-11-05}
}
