spin / spin/ • v. (spin·ning; past and past part. spun / spən/ ) 1. turn or cause to turn or whirl around quickly: [intr.] the girl spun around in alarm the rear wheels spun violently | [tr.] he fiddled with the radio, spinning the dial. ∎  [intr.] (of a person's head) give a sensation of dizziness: the figures were enough to make her head spin. ∎  [tr.] chiefly Cricket impart a revolving motion to (a ball) when bowling. ∎  [intr.] (of a ball) move through the air with such a revolving motion. ∎  [tr.] give (a news story or other information) a particular interpretation, esp. a favorable one. ∎  [tr.] shape (sheet metal) by pressure applied during rotation on a lathe: [as adj.] (spun) spun metal components. 2. [tr.] draw out (wool, cotton, or other material) and convert it into threads, either by hand or with machinery: they spin wool into the yarn for weaving | [as adj.] (spun) spun glass. ∎  make (threads) in this way: this method is used to spin filaments from syrups. ∎  (of a spider or a silkworm or other insect) produce (gossamer or silk) or construct (a web or cocoon) by extruding a fine viscous thread from a special gland.3. [intr.] fish with a spinner: they were spinning for salmon in the lake.• n. 1. a rapid turning or whirling motion: he concluded the dance with a double spin. ∎  revolving motion imparted to a ball in a game such as baseball, cricket, tennis, or billiards: this racket enables the player to impart more spin to the ball ∎  [in sing.] a particular bias, interpretation, or point of view, intended to create a favorable (or sometimes, unfavorable) impression when presented to the public: he tried to put a positive spin on the president's campaign. ∎  [usu. in sing.] a fast revolving motion of an aircraft as it descends rapidly: he tried to stop the plane from going into a spin. ∎  Physics the intrinsic angular momentum of a subatomic particle.2. [in sing.] inf. a brief trip in a vehicle for pleasure: a spin around town. PHRASES: spin one's wheels inf. waste one's time or efforts.spin a yarn tell a long, far-fetched story.PHRASAL VERBS: spin something off (of a parent company) turn a subsidiary into a new and separate company.spin out (of a driver or car) lose control, esp. in a skid.spin something out make something last as long as possible: they seem keen to spin out the debate through their speeches and interventions. ∎  spend or occupy time aimlessly or without profit: Shane and Mary played games to spin out the afternoon. ORIGIN: Old English spinnan ‘draw out and twist (fiber)’; related to German spinnen. The noun dates from the mid 19th cent.