spin

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To turn around quickly and repeatedly on a central point.

   The dancer spun gracefully across the stage.

2. 2
   noun

   The act of turning around quickly.

   We gave the wheel a hard spin.

3. 3
   verb

   To present information in a way that gives a favorable impression.

   The politician tried to spin the bad news as a temporary setback.

4. 4
   noun

   A particular way of presenting information to influence opinion.

   The campaign put a positive spin on the disappointing results.

5. 5
   verb

   To twist fibers into thread.

   She learned to spin wool into yarn on an old wheel.

Multiword verbs with spin

• spin off Phrasal verb B2

  to produce something separate as a result of a larger activity or organization

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Spin is an Old English word that originally meant “draw out and twist fibre.” Its modern figurative sense of presenting information with a particular slant arose in the United States and is first recorded in 1977.

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”).

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary