1
: the distribution by a business to its stockholders of particular assets and especially of stock of another company
also
: the new company created by such a distribution
2
: a collateral or derived product or effect : by-product
also
: a number of such products
the spin-off from the space program
3
: something that is imitative or derivative of an earlier work, product, or establishment
especially
: a television show starring a character popular in a secondary role of an earlier show
spun off; spinning off; spins off
: to establish or produce as a spin-off
the company spun off its computer division
spin off a new TV series
: to establish or become a spin-off
Synonyms
Examples of spin-off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Dec. 2023
Yet for all that backstage drama, and all the wild swings in tone and quality, the peak of Good Times — a Maude spin-off about a Black family barely keeping their heads above water in a Chicago housing project — stacks up against the best of what Lear did with these other shows.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 6 Dec. 2023
Though its success was certainly fueled by its parent show, The Big Bang Theory, the spin-off prequel series found its own voice and earned a devoted audience.
—Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 2 Dec. 2023
Maddie McGarvey—The Washington Post via Getty Images The DuPont Co. and two spin-off firms will pay $110 million to the state of Ohio to settle a lawsuit over environmental threats from toxic chemicals used at a former DuPont facility in neighboring West Virginia, the companies said Wednesday.
—Randall Chase, Fortune, 30 Nov. 2023
Social media has taken the spin-offs of the concha to a new level, including the croncha (a croissant concha), concha ice cream sandwiches, concha muffins, concha bread pudding, and even giant conchas big enough for a family of 10.
—Daniela Cintron, Los Angeles Times, 29 Nov. 2023
This one has two spin-offs with The Princess Switch: Switched Again and The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star.
—Dana Feldman, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
Bell Biv DeVoe: The classic R&B group is a spin-off of New Edition.
—Jaden Thompson, Variety, 23 Nov. 2023
Last week, Alibaba shelved its plan to spin-off its cloud computing division as an independent company, blaming uncertainty from U.S. export controls.
—Lionel Lim, Fortune, 22 Nov. 2023
Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Nov. 2023
Then earlier this year, Bumble spun off Bumble BFF, its matchmaking app for platonic friendships, into its own app—another first for the company.
—Paolo Confino, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2023
The tale spawned three more animated sequels and later spun off into a series featuring Antonio Banderas as a Zorro-esque talking cat.
—Gretchen Smail, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Oct. 2023
First, the company abandoned plans to spin off its cloud unit, blaming U.S. rules barring chip sales to China.
—Michal Lev-Ram, Fortune, 17 Nov. 2023
His latest pay package follows the media giant pushing the timing for a spin off of its studio business to the first quarter of 2024, due in part to the recent acquisition of producer Entertainment One and the impact of the dual Hollywood strikes.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Oct. 2023
Alibaba, which is preparing to spin off Cainiao via an initial public offering, did not respond to a request for comment.
—Niamh Kennedy, CNN, 5 Oct. 2023
The chipmaker plans to spin off its specialized business that services the defense and telecommunications sectors, as part of its overall turnaround plan.
—Ben Dummett, WSJ, 4 Oct. 2023
Sierra Space has raised $1.7 billion from private investors, primarily equity and venture capital funds, since spinning off from Sierra Nevada in 2021.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 1 Nov. 2023
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Noun
Netflix can’t get enough Squid Game: The streamer has renewed its reality show spin-off Squid Game: The Challenge for a second season.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Dec. 2023
Yet for all that backstage drama, and all the wild swings in tone and quality, the peak of Good Times — a Maude spin-off about a Black family barely keeping their heads above water in a Chicago housing project — stacks up against the best of what Lear did with these other shows.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 6 Dec. 2023
Though its success was certainly fueled by its parent show, The Big Bang Theory, the spin-off prequel series found its own voice and earned a devoted audience.
—Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 2 Dec. 2023
Maddie McGarvey—The Washington Post via Getty Images The DuPont Co. and two spin-off firms will pay $110 million to the state of Ohio to settle a lawsuit over environmental threats from toxic chemicals used at a former DuPont facility in neighboring West Virginia, the companies said Wednesday.
—Randall Chase, Fortune, 30 Nov. 2023
Social media has taken the spin-offs of the concha to a new level, including the croncha (a croissant concha), concha ice cream sandwiches, concha muffins, concha bread pudding, and even giant conchas big enough for a family of 10.
—Daniela Cintron, Los Angeles Times, 29 Nov. 2023
This one has two spin-offs with The Princess Switch: Switched Again and The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star.
—Dana Feldman, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
Bell Biv DeVoe: The classic R&B group is a spin-off of New Edition.
—Jaden Thompson, Variety, 23 Nov. 2023
Last week, Alibaba shelved its plan to spin-off its cloud computing division as an independent company, blaming uncertainty from U.S. export controls.
—Lionel Lim, Fortune, 22 Nov. 2023
Verb
The film has since been spun off into a BBC mini-series, in which Graham also stars.
—Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Nov. 2023
Then earlier this year, Bumble spun off Bumble BFF, its matchmaking app for platonic friendships, into its own app—another first for the company.
—Paolo Confino, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2023
The tale spawned three more animated sequels and later spun off into a series featuring Antonio Banderas as a Zorro-esque talking cat.
—Gretchen Smail, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Oct. 2023
First, the company abandoned plans to spin off its cloud unit, blaming U.S. rules barring chip sales to China.
—Michal Lev-Ram, Fortune, 17 Nov. 2023
His latest pay package follows the media giant pushing the timing for a spin off of its studio business to the first quarter of 2024, due in part to the recent acquisition of producer Entertainment One and the impact of the dual Hollywood strikes.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Oct. 2023
Alibaba, which is preparing to spin off Cainiao via an initial public offering, did not respond to a request for comment.
—Niamh Kennedy, CNN, 5 Oct. 2023
The chipmaker plans to spin off its specialized business that services the defense and telecommunications sectors, as part of its overall turnaround plan.
—Ben Dummett, WSJ, 4 Oct. 2023
Sierra Space has raised $1.7 billion from private investors, primarily equity and venture capital funds, since spinning off from Sierra Nevada in 2021.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 1 Nov. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spin-off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
Noun
1950, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1950, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Dictionary Entries Near spin-off
Cite this Entry
“Spin-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spin-off. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
spin-off
nounˈspin-ˌȯf
1
: something that results from work done to produce a different product : by-product
household products that are spin-offs of space research
2
: something that imitates or comes from an earlier work or product
a spin-off of a hit TV show
Legal Definition
spin-off
nounˈspin-ˌȯf, -ˌäf
: a transfer of corporate assets to a subsidiary in return for a distribution to the shareholders of the corporation of all of the stock or controlling stock of the subsidiary without surrender of any stock by the shareholders of the corporation : a D reorganization involving a distribution of the stock of another company to the corporation's shareholders
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