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
Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2024
Persona 3 Reload Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Release Date: February 2, 2024
Take a break from the series' endless spin-offs and revisit Persona 3, a beloved mainline RPG now remade for modern consoles.
—PCMAG, 6 Apr. 2024
After 15 years on the air, hundreds of episodes, and countless international spin-offs, RuPaul’s Drag Race has developed a familiar series of beats, characters, and story points.
—Marah Eakin, WIRED, 3 Apr. 2024
The show is a spin-off of the original House Hunters which first premiered in 1999 and is a beloved series for many HGTV fans.
—Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024
Charles Drucker was appointed as a strategic advisor to guide the spin-off process.
—Joe Cornell, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
But there was a tiny upside to the season: providing future fodder on Bachelor spin-offs with the casting of Erica Rose.
—Madeline Boardman, EW.com, 26 Mar. 2024
One of these was Agilent Technologies, a spin-off of Hewlett Packard with a focus on life-science and chemical-analysis technologies.
—Phillip W. Barth, IEEE Spectrum, 25 Mar. 2024
A couple of other spin-off shows are reportedly the works, centered on the Gotham City Police Department and Arkham Asylum.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2024
Melvin Backman, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
Beem apprehended Meade when his truck spun off the road and into a field.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 25 Mar. 2024
According to one of its stars, a third film is in the works from the historical-drama franchise, which is spun off of the TV series of the same name.
—Jen Juneau, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2024
With a long-term value of approximately $2 million per game played for each conference, NCAA units will spin off at least $8 million to the schools.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 17 Mar. 2024
Lawmakers supportive of the bill have argued TikTok poses a national security threat and should be spun off from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, because the Chinese government could force the company to hand over the data of US app users.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024
The LiveWire nonetheless set a groundbreaking precedent for the manufacturer by proving an old dog could learn new tricks, and eventually spin off into its own brand in 2022.
2020 Zero SR/F
Photo : Courtesy of PJ Archives.
—Peter Jackson, Robb Report, 1 Mar. 2024
Embracing its telecommunication roots, AT&T over the last three years has spun off DirecTV and WarnerMedia, with the firm setting its sights on building out higher-margin areas such as 5G and fiber.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2024
Turbines began spinning off Rhode Island’s Block Island as a pilot project in 2016.
—Jennifer McDermott, Fortune Europe, 14 Mar. 2024
Noun
There was never a big announcement about the potential spin-off, with news of it only trickling out in 2022 when GoT creator George R.R. Martin confirmed some swirling rumors.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2024
Persona 3 Reload Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Release Date: February 2, 2024
Take a break from the series' endless spin-offs and revisit Persona 3, a beloved mainline RPG now remade for modern consoles.
—PCMAG, 6 Apr. 2024
After 15 years on the air, hundreds of episodes, and countless international spin-offs, RuPaul’s Drag Race has developed a familiar series of beats, characters, and story points.
—Marah Eakin, WIRED, 3 Apr. 2024
The show is a spin-off of the original House Hunters which first premiered in 1999 and is a beloved series for many HGTV fans.
—Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024
Charles Drucker was appointed as a strategic advisor to guide the spin-off process.
—Joe Cornell, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
But there was a tiny upside to the season: providing future fodder on Bachelor spin-offs with the casting of Erica Rose.
—Madeline Boardman, EW.com, 26 Mar. 2024
One of these was Agilent Technologies, a spin-off of Hewlett Packard with a focus on life-science and chemical-analysis technologies.
—Phillip W. Barth, IEEE Spectrum, 25 Mar. 2024
A couple of other spin-off shows are reportedly the works, centered on the Gotham City Police Department and Arkham Asylum.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2024
Verb
The document request comes at an inopportune time for Spirit, which is in discussions to rejoin Boeing almost 20 years after it was spun off to a private equity firm.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
Beem apprehended Meade when his truck spun off the road and into a field.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 25 Mar. 2024
According to one of its stars, a third film is in the works from the historical-drama franchise, which is spun off of the TV series of the same name.
—Jen Juneau, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2024
With a long-term value of approximately $2 million per game played for each conference, NCAA units will spin off at least $8 million to the schools.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 17 Mar. 2024
Lawmakers supportive of the bill have argued TikTok poses a national security threat and should be spun off from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, because the Chinese government could force the company to hand over the data of US app users.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024
The LiveWire nonetheless set a groundbreaking precedent for the manufacturer by proving an old dog could learn new tricks, and eventually spin off into its own brand in 2022.
2020 Zero SR/F
Photo : Courtesy of PJ Archives.
—Peter Jackson, Robb Report, 1 Mar. 2024
Embracing its telecommunication roots, AT&T over the last three years has spun off DirecTV and WarnerMedia, with the firm setting its sights on building out higher-margin areas such as 5G and fiber.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2024
Turbines began spinning off Rhode Island’s Block Island as a pilot project in 2016.
—Jennifer McDermott, Fortune Europe, 14 Mar. 2024
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 16 Apr. 2024.
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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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