(~s, ~ning, spun)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
If something ~s or if you ~ it, it turns quickly around a central point.
The latest discs, used for small portable computers, ~ 3600 times a minute...
He spun the wheel sharply and made a U turn in the middle of the road...
He spun his car round and went after them.
VERB: V, V n, V n round / around
•
Spin is also a noun.
This driving mode allows you to move off in third gear to reduce wheel-~ in icy conditions.
N-VAR
2.
When you ~ washing, it is turned round and round quickly in a ~ drier or a washing machine to get the water out.
Just ~ the washing and it’s nearly dry.
VERB: V n
•
Spin is also a noun.
Set on a cool wash and finish with a short ~.
N-SING
3.
If your head is ~ning, you feel unsteady or confused, for example because you are drunk, ill, or excited.
My head was ~ning from the wine...
VERB: V
4.
If someone puts a certain ~ on an event or situation, they interpret it and try to present it in a particular way. (INFORMAL)
He interpreted the vote as support for the constitution and that is the ~ his supporters are putting on the results today.
N-SING: with supp
see also ~ doctor
5.
In politics, ~ is the way in which political parties try to present everything they do in a positive way to the public and the media.
The public is sick of ~ and tired of promises. It’s time for politicians to act.
N-UNCOUNT
6.
If you go for a ~ or take a car for a ~, you make a short journey in a car just to enjoy yourself.
N-SING: a N
7.
If someone ~s a story, they give you an account of something that is untrue or only partly true.
He was surprised, and annoyed that she had spun a story which was too good to be condemned as a simple lie.
VERB: V n, also V n n
8.
When people ~, they make thread by twisting together pieces of a fibre such as wool or cotton using a device or machine.
Michelle will also ~ a customer’s wool fleece to specification at a cost of $2.25 an ounce.
VERB: V n
~ning
They do their own cooking, ~ning, and woodworking.
N-UNCOUNT
9.
In a game such as tennis or cricket, if you put ~ on a ball, you deliberately make it ~ rapidly when you hit it or throw it.
N-UNCOUNT