1
as in rotating
to move in circles around an axis or center
spinning on its axis, the Earth makes one complete rotation every 23 hours 56 minutes 4 seconds
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
3
as in twirling
to move (something) in a curved or circular path on or as if on an axis
spun the child around until he was hopelessly dizzy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spinning
Scott appeared to have done his job, spinning a full-count slider below the strike zone that Lee chased.
—
Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Ledford is a songwriter to watch, spinning urgent, gripping tales of life’s ups and downs in the midst of a wildly colorful and psychedelic musical universe.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
Interestingly, it was found spinning at 100 revolutions per second.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2025
TikTok @evelynmmartin The dog jumps onto the grassy area, shakes his head with his whole body moving in excitement, and jumps up to greet Martin, showering her with licks and nuzzles before spinning excitedly in a circle.
—Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Waterspouts are spinning columns of air and water mist above bodies of water and can take two forms, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 8 Sep. 2025
While most broths are perfectly serviceable for rounding out the flavors of a soup or giving a brothy head start to a braise, Epic provides the kind of gelatine-rich base that is worthy of spinning up into a ramen broth for weeknight noodle duty.
—Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 Sep. 2025
More to the point, the average deliveries for Sunday night’s head-spinning Ravens-Bills game should be sufficiently massive to overshadow the results from the Cowboys-Eagles showdown.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Last week, Kiko was one of two hurricanes spinning in the Pacific basin.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025
Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Ledford is a songwriter to watch, spinning urgent, gripping tales of life’s ups and downs in the midst of a wildly colorful and psychedelic musical universe.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
Interestingly, it was found spinning at 100 revolutions per second.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2025
TikTok @evelynmmartin The dog jumps onto the grassy area, shakes his head with his whole body moving in excitement, and jumps up to greet Martin, showering her with licks and nuzzles before spinning excitedly in a circle.
—Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Waterspouts are spinning columns of air and water mist above bodies of water and can take two forms, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 8 Sep. 2025
While most broths are perfectly serviceable for rounding out the flavors of a soup or giving a brothy head start to a braise, Epic provides the kind of gelatine-rich base that is worthy of spinning up into a ramen broth for weeknight noodle duty.
—Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 Sep. 2025
More to the point, the average deliveries for Sunday night’s head-spinning Ravens-Bills game should be sufficiently massive to overshadow the results from the Cowboys-Eagles showdown.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Last week, Kiko was one of two hurricanes spinning in the Pacific basin.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spinning
Verb
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Funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), the new Polarstern will be equipped with two 160 PULL ARC LM azimuth propulsion systems, commonly known as rotating propeller nacelles.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Sep. 2025
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Since then, however, the rotating former player cohost slot has always been filled by a contestant from the previous season.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Plymouth White Horse Beach and Long Beach were closed to swimming on Sunday, as the beaches had red flag warnings due to the white shark off Manomet Point.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
16 Sep. 2025
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By now, your head might be swimming, and that’s understandable.—
Steve Vernon,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But then, in August of 2024, it got stuck — again — this time slowly twirling in a kind of ocean vortex known as the Taylor column.—
Kat Lonsdorf,
NPR,
5 Sep. 2025
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On a recent summer evening, at the monthly Sunset & Salsa rooftop party, twirling couples filled the dance floor hours before the harsh sun finally set.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Another, also built from white disks on a bending wire, evokes a mechanized Japanese cherry tree, its circles—perched high on a narrow stem—not revolving so much as brushing quickly past one another.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
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Experts say many car shoppers could benefit from paying down revolving debt and improving their credit scores, which could pave the way to even better loan terms in the future.—
Jessica Dickler,
CNBC,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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There will be a huge tornado in whirling fabric and a room dedicated to Oz.—
Laura Bannister,
Curbed,
5 Sep. 2025
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Waterspouts are whirling columns of air and water mist above bodies of water and can take two forms, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The crowd takes it all in wearing headphones with green lights, turning the night into a kind of silent disco in a scene straight out of Mad Max.—
David Hochman,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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The Andante cantabile offers benevolence tinged with shadow, its harmonies turning suddenly ominous.—
Sheila Regan,
Twin Cities,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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No, just experience twisting her hair into a bun and tucking the ends underneath.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
12 Sep. 2025
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This can be something forceful falling or pressing on the toe or twisting it in an awkward manner.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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An Atlantic Ocean devoid of swirling tropical waves is a welcome but unusual sight for mid-September.—
Alex Harris,
Miami Herald,
11 Sep. 2025
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Studs, leopard print, and DIY ornamentation sit alongside soft pastels, swirling graphic patterns, and a Nouveau color palette inspired by the Parisian Metropolitain signs.—
Felicity Carter,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spinning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spinning. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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