spinner

American  

[spin-er] / ˈspɪn ər /

noun

• spinners
  plural

1. a person or thing that spins.

2. Angling. a lure, as a spoon bait, that revolves in the water in trolling and casting.

3. Also called spinner play. Football. a play in which the player carrying the ball twirls about, to deceive the other team as to where the player intends to hit the line.

4. Aeronautics. a streamlined fairing over a propeller hub.

5. British Informal. nightjar.

6. Slang. a disc jockey.

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spinner British  

/ ˈspɪnə /

noun

1. a person or thing that spins

2. informal a spin doctor

3. cricket

   1. a ball that is bowled with a spinning motion

   2. a bowler who specializes in bowling such balls

4. a streamlined fairing that fits over and revolves with the hub of an aircraft propeller

5. a fishing lure with a fin or wing that revolves when drawn through the water

6. an angler's name for the mature adult form (imago) of various flies, especially the mayflies Compare dun 2

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• underspinner
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• spinners
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of spinner

First recorded in 1175–1225, spinner is from the Middle English word spinnere. See spin, -er ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spinner spinners

"I think they might be in with a shout, with a bit of luck on their side," said former England spinner Phil Tufnell.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

Left-arm spinner Liam Dawson also repaid the faith for his inclusion over Rehan Ahmed with figures of 3-26.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

The two soft dismissals highlighted Sri Lanka's woes - Lahiru Udara was caught at mid-on and Kamil Mishara chipped one straight back to the slow left-arm spinner.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

For the home cooks: OXO is best known for revolutionizing the salad spinner, but it has also redesigned the garlic press, the can opener, the vegetable peeler … the list goes on.

From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026

Kyle tapped the rendering of the spinner in the right-hand corner of the game plans.

From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein

The 39-year-old had a more worn pitch to utilise than South Africa's spinners and found significantly more turn and threat.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

As professional spinners of reputation and reshapers of meaning, marketers have long created newfangled jobs or pithy descriptions to slot their work into the zeitgeist.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

The way he took down the spinners was brutal.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

There is a reasonable argument to suggest Dawson's presence gave England too many spinners in their XI.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

“Well, you could riot be in a better place. The spinners weave all our catch cloths,” said Solovet.

From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins

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