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Synonyms

spinner

American  
[spin-er] / ˈspɪn ər /

noun

  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.

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • underspinner noun

Etymology

Origin of spinner

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

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.

Here his first runs came with a six over long-on and he followed by hitting India spinner Axar Patel for four over extra cover and another six over long-on.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

The G-Force Test Facility is a spinner that’s pitched as an astronaut training experience.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026

He also struck Mitchell Santner for four with a fine reverse sweep and clubbed the left-arm spinner over long-off for another six.

From BBC • Feb. 28, 2026

New Zealand were struggling to read Maheesh Theekshana as the spinner claimed 3-9 in his first three overs.

From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026

If the spinner is spun one hundred times and the letters recorded, the probability that the word cat or warm will appear is very small, but the probability of some word’s appearing is high.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

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.