spin
(noun) a distinctive interpretation (especially as used by politicians to sway public opinion); “the campaign put a favorable spin on the story”
tailspin, spin
(noun) rapid descent of an aircraft in a steep spiral
spin
(noun) a short drive in a car; “he took the new car for a spin”
spin, twirl, twist, twisting, whirl
(noun) the act of rotating rapidly; “he gave the crank a spin”; “it broke off after much twisting”
spin
(noun) a swift whirling motion (usually of a missile)
spin, spin out
(verb) prolong or extend; “spin out a visit”
spin
(verb) twist and turn so as to give an intended interpretation; “The President’s spokesmen had to spin the story to make it less embarrassing”
spin
(verb) work natural fibers into a thread; “spin silk”
spin
(verb) form a web by making a thread; “spiders spin a fine web”
spin
(verb) make up a story; “spin a yarn”
spin, spin around, whirl, reel, gyrate
(verb) revolve quickly and repeatedly around one’s own axis; “The dervishes whirl around and around without getting dizzy”
whirl, birl, spin, twirl
(verb) cause to spin; “spin a coin”
spin
(verb) stream in jets, of liquids; “The creek spun its course through the woods”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
spin (third-person singular simple present spins, present participle spinning, simple past (archaic) span or spun, past participle spun)
(ergative) To rotate, revolve, gyrate (usually quickly); to partially or completely rotate to face another direction.
(transitive) To make yarn by twisting and winding fibers together.
To present, describe, or interpret, or to introduce a bias or slant, so as to give something a favorable or advantageous appearance.
(cricket, of a bowler) To make the ball move sideways when it bounces on the pitch.
(cricket, of a ball) To move sideways when bouncing.
(cooking) 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.
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 stream or issue in a thread or a small current or jet.
(computing, programming, intransitive) To wait in a loop until some condition becomes true.
(transitive, informal) To play (vinyl records, etc.) as a disc jockey.
(intransitive) To use an exercise bicycle, especially as part of a gym class.
• (give something a favorable appearance): whitewash, sugarcoat, put lipstick on, gild, blandish, dress up
• revolve
• rotate
• turn
spin (countable and uncountable, plural spins)
Rapid circular motion.
(physics) A quantum angular momentum associated with subatomic particles, which also creates a magnetic moment.
(countable, uncountable) A favourable comment or interpretation intended to bias opinion on an otherwise unpleasant situation.
Synonym: propaganda
(sports) Rotation of the ball as it flies through the air; sideways movement of the ball as it bounces.
A condition of flight where a stalled aircraft is simultaneously pitching, yawing and rolling in a spinning motion.
A brief trip by vehicle, especially one made for pleasure.
A bundle of spun material; a mass of strands and filaments.
A single play of a record by a radio station.
(UK, prison slang) A search of a prisoner's cell for forbidden articles.
(dated) Unmarried woman, spinster.
(uncountable) The use of an exercise bicycle, especially as part of a gym class.
• Insp, NIPs, NPIs, Nips, PINs, PSNI, nips, pins, snip
Source: Wiktionary
Spin, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Spun (Archaic imp. Span (); p. pr. & vb. n. Spinning.] Etym: [AS. spinnan; akin to D. & G. spinnen, Icel. & Sw. spinna, Dan. spinde, Goth. spinnan, and probably to E. span. sq. root170. Cf. Span, v. t., Spider.]
1. To draw out, and twist into threads, either by the hand or machinery; as, to spin wool, cotton, or flax; to spin goat's hair; to produce by drawing out and twisting a fibrous material. All the yarn she [Penelope] spun in Ulysses' absence did but fill Ithaca full of moths. Shak.
2. To draw out tediously; to form by a slow process, or by degrees; to extend to a great length; -- with out; as, to spin out large volumes on a subject. Do you mean that story is tediously spun out Sheridan.
3. To protract; to spend by delays; as, to spin out the day in idleness. By one delay after another they spin out their whole lives. L'Estrange.
4. To cause to turn round rapidly; to whirl; to twirl; as, to spin a top.
5. To form (a web, a cocoon, silk, or the like) 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.
6. (Mech.)
Definition: 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 spin a yarn (Naut.), to tell a story, esp. a long or fabulous tale.
– To spin hay (Mil.), to twist it into ropes for convenient carriage on an expedition.
– To spin street yarn, to gad about gossiping. [Collog.]
Spin, v. i.
1. To practice spinning; to work at drawing and twisting threads; to make yarn or thread from fiber; as, the woman knows how to spin; a machine or jenny spins with great exactness. They neither know to spin, nor care to toll. Prior.
2. To move round rapidly; to whirl; to revolve, as a top or a spindle, about its axis. Round about him spun the landscape, Sky and forest reeled together. Longfellow. With a whirligig of jubilant mosquitoes spinning about each head. G. W. Cable.
3. To stream or issue in a thread or a small current or jet; as, blood spinsfrom a vein. Shak.
4. To move swifty; as, to spin along the road in a carriage, on a bicycle, etc. [Colloq.]
Spin, n.
1. The act of spinning; as, the spin of a top; a spin a bicycle. [Colloq.]
2. (Kinematics)
Definition: Velocity of rotation about some specified axis. go for a spin take a spin, take a trip in a wheeled vehicle, usu. an automobile.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
3 March 2025
(verb) hold one’s ground; maintain a position; be steadfast or upright; “I am standing my ground and won’t give in!”
The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.
