spin
verb /spɪn/
/spɪn/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they spin | /spɪn/ /spɪn/ |
| he / she / it spins | /spɪnz/ /spɪnz/ |
| past simple spun | /spʌn/ /spʌn/ |
| past participle spun | /spʌn/ /spʌn/ |
| -ing form spinning | /ˈspɪnɪŋ/ /ˈspɪnɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive, transitive] to turn round and round quickly; to make something do this
- (+ adv./prep.) The plane was spinning out of control.
- a spinning ice skater
- My head is spinning (= I feel as if my head is going round and I can't balance).
- spin round/around The dancers spun round and round.
- spin something (round/around) to spin a ball/coin/wheel
- We placed our bets and the croupier spun the roulette wheel.
Extra Examples- The Earth spins on its axis once every 24 hours.
- The blade spins very fast.
- The car spun out of control.
- The dinghy spun like a top and a huge wave came at me.
- The wheel can now spin freely.
- The wine made my head spin.
- Jo spun the chair round.
- She spun the roulette wheel one last time.
- The Earth spins around a central axis.
- They spun a coin to see who should go first.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- fast
- quickly
- rapidly
- …
- begin to
- start to
- make somebody’s head spin
- spin like a top
- spin on its axis
- …
- [intransitive, transitive] spin (somebody) round/around | + adv./prep. to turn round quickly once; to make somebody do this
- He spun around to face her.
- She spun on her heel and walked out.
Extra Examples- Spin your partner around.
- She spun round to see him grinning at her.
- He spun the child roughly around.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- fast
- quickly
- rapidly
- …
- begin to
- start to
- make somebody’s head spin
- spin like a top
- spin on its axis
- …
- [intransitive, transitive] to make thread from wool, cotton, silk, etc. by twisting it
- She sat by the window spinning.
- spin something to spin and knit wool
- spin A into B spinning silk into thread
- spin B from A spinning thread from silk
- [transitive] spin something to produce thread from its body to make a web or cocoon
- a spider spinning a web
- A silkworm spins a cocoon that can yield 800 metres of pure silk.
- [intransitive] + adv./prep. to drive or travel quickly
- They went spinning along the roads on their bikes.
- [transitive] spin something to remove the water from clothes that have just been washed, in a spin dryer
- [transitive] spin something (as something) to present information or a situation in a particular way, especially one that makes you or your ideas seem good
- An aide was already spinning the senator's defeat as ‘almost as good as an outright win’.
turn round quickly
make thread
of spider/silkworm
drive/travel quickly
dry clothes
present information
Word OriginOld English spinnan ‘draw out and twist (fibre)’; related to German spinnen. The noun dates from the mid 19th cent.
Idioms
your head is spinning | make your head spin
- your head feels as though it is going round and round and you cannot balance, especially because you are ill or confused or have had a shock; to make you feel like this
- Her head was spinning from the pain.
- His theories on economics are enough to make your head spin.
spin (somebody) a yarn, tale, etc.
- to try to make somebody believe a long story that is not trueTopics Personal qualitiesc2
turn/spin on your heel
- to turn around suddenly so that you are facing in the opposite direction
- He turned on his heel and marched away angrily.