Commerce. a process of reorganizing a corporate structure whereby the capital stock of a division or subsidiary of a corporation or of a newly affiliated company is transferred to the stockholders of the parent corporation without an exchange of any part of the stock of the latter.
any product that is an adaption, outgrowth, or development of another similar product.
The paperback is a spin-off from the large hardcover encyclopedia.
a secondary or incidental product or effect derived from technological development in a somewhat unrelated area.
any product or development derived incidentally from the application of existing knowledge or enterprise
a book, film, or television series derived from a similar successful book, film, or television series
First recorded in 1945–50; noun use of verb phrase spin off
How does spin-off compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Xbox gaming division, including Montreal-based Compulsion Games and San Francisco-based Double Fine, are in spin-off talks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
The project is considered a representative spin-off case in which defense research has been adapted for civilian use.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 2, 2026
Comcast said it expects the tax-free spin-off in approximately one year and that it will hold up to 19.9% of NBCUniversal at the outset.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026
Hussen played the character Naz in an Eastenders spin-off E20 which first aired in 2010.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
It might also provide the kind of secondary, spin-off items of science that we like to see in federally supported research.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
Just a week after Comcast announced a plan to spin off NBCUniversal, the Philadelphia media-and-broadband conglomerate said it’s buying a British broadcaster.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
As if a historic Supreme Court case decision and a record-setting day weren’t enough to start the week, Comcast announced plans to spin off NBCUniversal and Sky from its mobile and broadband business this morning.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
“That’s My Bush!” ran for eight episodes in the spring of 2001, with plans to spin off into a feature called “George W. Bush and the Secret of the Glass Tiger.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
Earlier this year, Honeywell said it planned to spin off its aerospace unit sooner than previously expected after Chief Executive Vimal Kapur said there was considerable progress on its portfolio optimization.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
One fission can quickly become hundreds as neutrons spin off from each split and hit more nuclei.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
The part earned her an Annie Award for best voice acting in an animated feature production and she continued to voice the character in spin-offs.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
Stretching out a successful series typically leads to spin-offs — and yes, Mills says, those conversations are happening with “Mormon Wives” — at least at the time of the interview.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2026
The upcoming slate is ambitious: a Mandalorian feature film, a new season of Ahsoka, a Darth Maul-centered animated series and several additional series and spin-offs are scheduled for release across Disney+ and theaters.
From Salon ● Jan. 18, 2026
Since its inception, “Call of Duty” has spawned dozens of sequels and spin-offs across various consoles and platforms, most recently “Call of Duty: Black Ops 7,” released in November.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2025
By 1980, the Lisp Machine project had generated two commercial spin-offs.
From Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software by Williams, Sam
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
