🌀 To turn quickly 🌀 A quick turn 🗣️ Biased information 🗣️ To present or invent 🚗 A short drive 🧵 To make thread 🌊 To twist and flow ⏳ To prolong

to spin

23 2.3

To make a thread or web from fibers

verb
/spɪn/

: hilar

I have my rabbits who give me fur to spin into yarn.
spin a web
spin a thread
spin webs

They spin, spin, spin, spin, and there's never enough thread.

Examples

I can spin a web

Arachnophobia (1990)
Watched this spider try for three hours to spin this web...

Fiction book (2001)
They just know how to spin a web.

Charlotte's Web (2006)
The first should make lace, the second knit stockings, and Vasilissa was to spin wool.

Fiction book (1998)
The spider can spin a beautiful web in just a few hours.
She watched the spider spin its intricate web between the branches.
To make yarn, the farmer must spin the fibers carefully on the wheel.

Synonyms

to twist

vsto spin

231 1.7

To turn something so it becomes a curved or spiral shape

draws out and twists fibers to make thread not merely a turning motion

to twine

vsto spin

1 4.1

To twist threads together or wind them around something

draws out and twists raw fibers to make fine continuous thread

to spindle

vsto spin

1 7.4

To twist fibers into yarn or to shape wood into thin, round pieces

draws out and twists fibers directly rather than using a tool

to twistle

vsto spin

9.9

To wrap something by turning it around another object

draws out and twists fibers to form continuous thread instead of coiling

Idioms

to make your head spin

Informal

4 7.0

To leave someone feeling overwhelmed or confused by too much information

to make head spin

Informal

3 7.4

To cause someone to feel confused or overwhelmed by too much information

in a spin

Informal

2 7.9

Feeling confused and unable to think clearly after something unexpected

to spin a yarn

Informal

1 6.8

To tell a long made-up or exaggerated story

Phrasal Verbs

to spin around

38 2.1

To turn your body quickly in a circle many times

to take for a spin

Informal

23 4.2

To test a car or gadget by using it for a short time

to spin off

11 4.3

To create a new company or product from part of a larger business

to spin up

Specialized

3 5.2

Start a computer system or service so it is ready to use

to spin your wheels

Informal

2 7.9

To waste time and effort without making progress

to spin-out

1 6.1

To lose control of a vehicle so it spins around

to spin a story

1 4.8

Make up and tell a tale, often to entertain or avoid trouble

to spin out

Informal

1 5.6

To make something last longer than needed

to spin down

Informal

6.7

To relax and become less active after a busy time

to spin down

Specialized

6.6

To make a hard drive or fan slow down to save power

to spin up a meeting

Jargon

7.2

To quickly set up a meeting when a new problem needs attention

to spin-dry

3.1

Remove water from clothes by spinning them fast in a machine

to spin-out

Specialized

6.7

To create a new business from part of a larger company

to spin-out

Informal

6.7

To make something last longer by making it finish later

Compounds

spin-off

12 3.7

A new company, product, or show created from an existing one

spin doctor

Literature

7 7.1

A person who makes news or events look better to influence people's opinions

spin the bottle

Informal

7 5.0

A party game where people sit in a circle and spin a bottle to kiss the person it points to

spin dryer

1 3.2

A machine that dries clothes by spinning them to remove water

electron spin resonance

Specialized

7.3

A technique using microwaves to study magnetic behavior of electrons in certain materials

humorous spin

4.1

A funny, light way of talking about something

spin drier

2.1

An electric machine that removes water from clothes by turning them quickly

spin the plate

Baby Talk

9.3

A children's game where a plate is spun and the named player must catch it or do a silly task

spin the platter

Baby Talk

9.7

A children's game in which players turn a plate on its edge and try to catch it before it falls

spin-off

Specialized

4.8

A useful item made while making another product

spin-out

5.0

An accident when a car or other vehicle loses control and spins

spin-out

5.0

A new business created from part of a larger company

How Twisted

to spin

23 2.3

to twist

231 1.7

to ply

Specialized

1 7.3

Surface Forms

spin infinitive

spinning present participle

spins third person singular

spun past

spun past participle

Etymology

Spin for making thread or webs comes directly from the old English spinnan, which meant 'to pull and twist fibers', the exact action of spiders and people who make yarn. So, when a spider or silkworm spins, it really makes thread by twisting it.