spinning

1. 1
   verb

   Present participle and gerund of spin.

   She loves spinning across the rink during her routine.

   The planet keeps spinning on its axis as it orbits the sun.

   Note

   A form that keeps every meaning of spin, not only turning. Like the verb, it works both ways: the wheel is spinning, or she is spinning the wheel. It also covers a pilot spinning an aircraft, a spinner spinning wool, a press office spinning a story and a bowler spinning the ball. As an adjective it pairs easily with others, as in Frank Fish and George Lauder's "a spinning, cyclonic mass of fluid."

2. 2
   noununcountable

   The motion of an object as it turns rapidly around a central point.

   Like the steady whirl of a record on a turntable.

   The spinning of the carousel slowed as the ride came to an end.

   Astronauts must cope with the spinning of their capsule during reentry.

   Similarrotation, revolution, turning, whirling

   Note

   The motion can be counted as well as named: Geoffrey Hemphill's Nico and the Unseen (2005) writes of "these uncontrollable spinnings of the head." The plural suits repeated episodes that are felt, such as bouts of dizziness. The uncountable use names the motion in general. In "a spinning top" the word is the verb form describing the top, not this noun naming its motion.

3. 3
   noununcountable

   The process of twisting fibers such as wool or cotton into yarn or thread.

   Spinning by hand was once a daily task in many rural households.

   The mill's spinning produced thousands of yards of thread each day.

4. 4
   noununcountable

   Indoor cycling performed on a stationary exercise bicycle, usually in an instructor-led class.

   She goes to spinning three times a week at her local gym.

   Spinning gave him a solid cardio workout without leaving the building.

   Similarspin

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