spinner
Americannoun
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a person or thing that spins.
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Angling. a lure, as a spoon bait, that revolves in the water in trolling and casting.
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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.
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Aeronautics. a streamlined fairing over a propeller hub.
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British Informal. nightjar.
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Slang. a disc jockey.
noun
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a person or thing that spins
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informal a spin doctor
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cricket
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a ball that is bowled with a spinning motion
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a bowler who specializes in bowling such balls
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a streamlined fairing that fits over and revolves with the hub of an aircraft propeller
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a fishing lure with a fin or wing that revolves when drawn through the water
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an angler's name for the mature adult form (imago) of various flies, especially the mayflies Compare dun 2
Other Word Forms
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.
Jack Leach remains probably the most reliable spinner in the country, while leg-spinner Mason Crane is bowling well for Glamorgan eight years after he won his only England cap.
From BBC • May 11, 2026
Root and Bethell are reasonable options if England need a spinner to hold an end.
From BBC • May 11, 2026
Uncapped left-arm spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman has been included in England's squad for the Women's T20 World Cup this summer.
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026
Modern versions of retro staples like a portable cassette player and a vinyl display cabinet hit the perfect note for a passionate spinner.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 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.
