SPINNING Synonyms: 39 Similar and Opposite Words

spinning

verb

present participle of spin

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

Relevance

as in swimming

to be in a confused state as if from being twirled around my head spun as I contemplated all the possible problems this restructuring could cause

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of spinning In New York City over the weekend, police launched an investigation into a massive street takeover in Queens that drew more than 100 vehicles in the early morning hours, with drivers spinning in circles and crowds flooding the intersection. —

Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026 In a first look at Kylie Minogue in her intimate Netflix documentary, the Australian pop icon certainly isn’t spinning around. —

Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 22 Apr. 2026 Wembanyama’s highlights included dribbling behind his back to avoid Avdija at halfcourt, backing him down to the top of the key, spinning around him and running free to the rim for a two-handed dunk midway through the first quarter. —

ABC News, 19 Apr. 2026 The larvae infest the food but can move some distance away to pupate, spinning a silken cocoon and attaching to the wall, under a shelf, or inside a box of food. —

Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 18 Apr. 2026 The sturdy four-pronged stake will help keep these spinning flowers stable all season long. —

Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Apr. 2026 Her scathing insults are as giddy as her crushing acknowledgements are gut-wrenching, as Lindsay strains to navigate a situation spinning further and further outside of her limited domain. —

Ben Travers, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2026 The head-spinning turnaround illustrates an already-familiar story. —

Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 16 Apr. 2026 The July 2025 crash sent both cars spinning into a third vehicle, injuring that driver and Carcamo-Meza’s passenger, police said. —

Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 15 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spinning

Verb

Best Nightlife L’Antiquario One of just a handful of bars in Italy on the World’s 50 Best Bars list, this elegant drinking den serves creative cocktails, including a Negroni flight served on a rotating carousel.

— Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 20 Apr. 2026
But as soon as one flagellar motor reverses direction and starts rotating clockwise, the bundle falls apart; the reverse-twirling filament unravels the braid and puts the cell’s flagellar motors at cross-purposes, kicking the cell around.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 20 Apr. 2026