Topic: CLEANING
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| Language: | Old English |
| Origin: | spinnan |
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spin1 S3
past tense and past participle spun present participle spinning
past tense and past participle spun present participle spinning1 to turn around and around very quickly, or to make something do this : The plane's propellers were spinning.
turn around
[intransitive and transitive]The plane's propellers were spinning.2 if your head or the room is spinning, you feel as if you might faint (=become unconscious) because you are shocked, excited, or drunk : I was pouring with sweat, and my head was spinning. The room started to spin.
somebody's head is spinning
also the room is spinningI was pouring with sweat, and my head was spinning.The room started to spin.3 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.
situation/information
[transitive]Supporters attempted to spin the bill's defeat to their advantage.4 to tell a story, especially using a lot of imagination : She spun a story about a trip to Athens to meet one of the authors.
spin a tale/story/yarn
She spun a story about a trip to Athens to meet one of the authors.5 to make cotton, wool etc into thread by twisting it
wool/cotton
[intransitive and transitive]TIM6 to drive or travel quickly [= speed]
drive
[intransitive always + adverb/preposition] written7 to continue trying to do something without having any success : I felt like I was just spinning my wheels trying to make him understand.
spin your wheels
American EnglishI felt like I was just spinning my wheels trying to make him understand.8 to get water out of clothes using a machine after you have washed them
wet clothes
[transitive] British EnglishDHC9 if a spider or insect spins a web or cocoon, it produces thread to make it
insect
[transitive]HBIspin off
phrasal verbBBC to make part of a company into a separate and partly independent company, or to become a separate company
spin something ↔ off At the time of the merger, Loral spun off its space divisions into a separate firm.
At the time of the merger, Loral spun off its space divisions into a separate firm.spin out
phrasal verb1 to make something continue for longer than is necessary [= drag out]: I'm paid by the hour, so I spin the work out as long as I can.
spin something ↔ out
British EnglishI'm paid by the hour, so I spin the work out as long as I can.2 to use money, food etc as carefully and slowly as possible, because you do not have very much of it
spin something ↔ out
British English3 American English if a car spins out, the driver loses control of it and the car spins around
