From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishspinspin1 /spɪn/ ●●● S3 verb (past tense and past participle spun /spʌn/, present participle spinning) 1 turn around [intransitive, transitive]TURN to turn around and around very quickly, or to make something do this The plane’s propellers were spinning.spin (something/somebody) around She grabbed Norm’s arm and spun him around to face her.2 → somebody’s head is spinning3 situation/information [transitive] to describe a situation or information in a way that is intended to influence the way people think about it – used especially about what politicians or business people do Supporters attempted to spin the bill’s defeat to their advantage.4 → spin a tale/story/yarn5 wool/cotton [intransitive, transitive]TIM to make cotton, wool etc into thread by twisting it6 drive [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] writtenFAST/QUICK to drive or travel quickly SYN speedspin past/along etc Barbara spun past in her new sports car.7 → spin your wheels8 wet clothes [transitive] British EnglishDHC to get water out of clothes using a machine after you have washed them9 insect [transitive]HBI if a spider or insect spins a web or cocoon, it produces thread to make it → spin off → spin out→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
spin• November 21 A whirlpool of mutual hatred With accelerating fury the Middle East's cycle of violence spins.• They simply spin a silken sling to attach themselves to a twig.• On the sidewalk, children took turns spinning a top.• I sat back and watched the ceiling fan spin above me.• The boy was spinning around in his father's desk chair.• The ice skater began to spin faster and faster.• The village has a reputation for spinning fine wool yarn.• Witnesses recalled a clap of wood and the sight of Bailey plunging toward the ground, then his dangling body spinning hard.• The wheels where spinning in the mud, but the car wouldn't move.• We spin on an axis, or tilt, of about 23. 5 degrees from the sun.• They spun round undisturbed in front of the nuclear power stations for several hours.• He spun the dial on the padlock right, then left, then right again.• Spin the wheel of the bicycle to make sure that it is fastened correctly.spin (something/somebody) around• He grabbed the wall for balance, and it spun him around.• We watched you bumble after pigeons, squeal as sun and air and Humber spun you around.• You two being newlyweds, she just spun him around and aimed him at me.• Delaney spun her around - and gagged.• By this time, Agent Price had also spun his car around and was headed southeast toward Oglala.• All the heavy materials came from junk spinning somewhere around in the solar system.• She spun me around, lifted Janir out of the carrier and immediately opened her shirt.• It is like the mind spinning a cocoon around the I and Thou.spin past/along etc• The world could not spin past these dry, hot days.spinspin2 noun 1 turning [countable]TURN an act of turning around quickly the Earth’s spin The Russian skater finished her routine with a series of spins.2 car [singular] informalTRAVEL a short trip in a car for pleasure SYN drive Let’s go for a spin in the country. Do you want to take my car for a spin?3 ball [uncountable]DS if you put spin on a ball in a game such as tennis or cricket, you deliberately make the ball turn very quickly so that it is difficult for your opponent to hit4 information [singular, uncountable]PERSUADE the way someone, especially a politician or business person, talks about information or a situation, especially in order to influence the way people think about it They tried to put a positive spin on the sales figures. → spin doctor5 aircraft [singular] if an aircraft goes into a spin, it falls suddenly, turning around and around6 → in/into a (flat) spin7 → give something a spinExamples from the Corpus
spin• The tundras will drag you into a spin.• Once again his weakness against spin was exposed when Bandara bowled him with a leg-break.• Bicycle riders performed dangerous spins and flips off ramps and curved walls.• For the moment just note that electron spin provides a second example of a two-dimensional state vector space in quantum mechanics.• A win will prove them wrong and put a whole new spin on this season.• What we would like to see is more realistic policies and less Labour Party spin.• The senator was determined to put a positive spin on the affair.• He made a quick spin to avoid the oncoming player.• Nixon lived long enough after his Watergate humiliation to put his own revisionist spin on his history.• the spin of a propeller• Whatever spin the government tries to put on it, this can be seen as nothing less that a massive defeat.take ... for a spin• He woke at tea time and took Lily for a spin in the car.• She was obviously impatient to be taken out for a spin even though there was hardly puff enough to stir her anemometer.• Car joy: Prince Charles presented a £54,000 hi-tech van to disabled man who then took him for a spin.• I'd like to take it for a spin.put a ... spin on• A win will prove them wrong and put a whole new spin on this season.• He puts a good spin on things.• Rule No. 1 of scandal hunting is that you must not put an obviously partisan spin on things.• They sat in ragged groups at their foxholes, some of them silent, others putting moral spin on the day.• Washington was also eager to put its own spin on the news it was imparting.• Another liberty Webster extended to himself was putting his own spin on definitions.From Longman Business Dictionaryspinspin /spɪn/ verb (past tense and past participle spun /spʌn/, present participle spinning) → spin something ↔ off→ See Verb tableOrigin spin1 Old English spinnan 