spin-out
noun
the spinning out of control into a rotating skid of a car or other vehicle.
spin-out
American
[spin-aut]
/ ˈspɪnˌaʊt /
Or
spinout
noun
spin out
British
verb
-
to extend or protract (a story, etc) by including superfluous detail; prolong
-
to spend or pass (time)
-
to contrive to cause (money, etc) to last as long as possible
noun
spin out
Idioms
-
Protract or prolong, as in They spun out the negotiations over a period of months . This idiom alludes to drawing out a thread by spinning. [c. 1600]
-
Rotate out of control, as in The car spun out and crashed into the store window . [Mid-1900s]
Etymology
Origin of spin-out
First recorded in 1950–55; noun use of verb phrase spin out
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Shares have performed well since their spin-out from DuPont in November.
From Barron's ● May 12, 2026
“Lastly, we believe that the recently announced spin-out of FedEx Freight into a standalone company should serve as a value-unlocking event and will put more scrutiny on the operations of the Freight segment,” they write.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
He and his colleagues have commercialised the technology through their spin-out company LiquiGlide.
From BBC ● Nov. 21, 2024
The University launched a spin-out company Cerca Magnetics in 2020 to commercialise OPM-MEG scanners and related technologies.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 4, 2024
On my mark it is T minus thirty minutes to spin-out check.
From Where I Wasn't Going by Walt Richmond
“Spider-Man” star Tom Holland won’t spin out too many details about his under-the-radar wedding with Zendaya, except that it’s already happened.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
Last month, Trump Media said it might spin out Truth Social to create separate companies with distinct strategies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 28, 2026
Because Netflix is proposing to spin out the Discovery shares, the bidding war will be decided by what investors think those are worth.
From Barron's ● Feb. 18, 2026
That’s when Vonn’s right arm snagged the gate, causing her to spin out and crash.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 8, 2026
The families of weaver ants engage in child labor, holding their larvae like shuttles to spin out the thread that sews the leaves together for their fungus gardens.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
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.
