Spin vs. Turn — What's the Difference?

To rotate rapidly; whirl.

To cause to move around an axis or center; cause to rotate or revolve

To have a sensation of whirling, as from dizziness; reel

To cause to move around in order to achieve a result, such as opening, closing, tightening, or loosening

To make thread or yarn by drawing out and twisting fibers.

To alter or control the functioning of (a mechanical device, for example) by the use of a rotating or similar movement

To extrude viscous filaments, forming a web or cocoon.

To perform or accomplish by rotating or revolving

To fish with a light rod, lure, and line and a reel with a stationary spool.

To change the position of so that the underside becomes the upper side

To cause to rotate swiftly; twirl

To spade or plow (soil) to bring the undersoil to the surface.

To shape or manufacture by a twirling or rotating process.

To reverse and resew the material of (a collar, for example).

(Informal) To play (a recorded piece of music, such as a phonograph record), especially as a disc jockey.

To revolve in the mind; meditate on; ponder

To provide an interpretation of (a statement or event, for example), especially in a way meant to sway public opinion

To give a rounded form to (wood, for example) by rotating against a cutting tool.

To draw out and twist (fibers) into thread.

To give a rounded shape to (clay, for example) by rotating and shaping with the hands or tools.

To form (thread or yarn) in this manner.

To give a rounded form to

To form (a web or cocoon, for example) by extruding viscous filaments.

To give distinctive, artistic, or graceful form to

To relate or create

To change the position of by traversing an arc of a circle; pivot

The act of spinning.

To present in a specified direction by rotating or pivoting

A swift whirling motion.

To cause (a scale) to move up or down so as to register weight

A state of mental confusion

To fold, bend, or twist (something).

(Informal) A short drive in a vehicle

To change the position or disposition of by folding, bending, or twisting

The flight condition of an aircraft in a nose-down, spiraling, stalled descent.

To make a bend or curve in

A distinctive point of view, emphasis, or interpretation

To blunt or dull (the edge of a cutting instrument).

A distinctive character or style

To injure by twisting

The angular momentum of rotation of a rigid body about its own axis.

To upset or make nauseated

The intrinsic angular momentum of a subatomic particle. Also called spin angular momentum.

To change the direction or course of

(ergative) To rotate, revolve, gyrate (usually quickly); to partially or completely rotate to face another direction.

To divert or deflect

To enter, or remain in, a spin (abnormal stalled flight mode).

To reverse the course of; cause to retreat

To cause one's aircraft to enter or remain in a spin (abnormal stalled flight mode).

To make a course around or about

(transitive) To make yarn by twisting and winding fibers together.

To reach and pass (a specified age)

(figurative) To present, describe, or interpret, or to introduce a bias or slant, so as to give something a favorable or advantageous appearance.

To change the purpose, intention, or content of by persuasion or influence

To make the ball move sideways when it bounces on the pitch.

To change the order or disposition of; unsettle

To move sideways when bouncing.

To aim or focus

(cooking) To form into thin strips or ribbons, as with sugar

To devote or apply (oneself, for example) to something

To form (a web, a cocoon, silk, etc.) from threads produced by the extrusion of a viscid, transparent liquid, which hardens on coming into contact with the air; said of the spider, the silkworm, etc.

To cause to act or go against; make antagonistic

To shape, as malleable sheet metal, into a hollow form, by bending or buckling it by pressing against it with a smooth hand tool or roller while the metal revolves, as in a lathe.

To cause to go in a specific direction; direct

To move swiftly.

To send, drive, or let go

To stream or issue in a thread or a small current or jet.

To pour, let fall, or otherwise release (contents) from or into a receptacle

To wait in a loop until some condition becomes true.

To cause to take on a specified character, nature, identity, or appearance; change or transform. Used with to or into

To play (vinyl records, etc.) as a disc jockey.

To affect or change the color of

To use an exercise bicycle, especially as part of a gym class.

To make sour; ferment

To ride a bicycle at a fast cadence.

To exchange; convert. Used with to or into

To search rapidly.

To keep in circulation; sell and restock

Rapid circular motion.

To make use of

(physics) A quantum angular momentum associated with subatomic particles, which also creates a magnetic moment.

To get by buying and selling

A favourable comment or interpretation intended to bias opinion on an otherwise unpleasant situation.

To perform successfully; complete

(sports) Rotation of the ball as it flies through the air; sideways movement of the ball as it bounces.

(Slang) To perform (an act of prostitution)

(aviation) A condition of flight where a stalled aircraft is simultaneously pitching, yawing and rolling in a spinning motion.

To move around an axis or center; rotate or revolve.

(mechanical engineering) An abnormal condition in journal bearings where the bearing seizes to the rotating shaft and rotates inside the journal, destroying both the shaft and the journal.

To have a sensation of revolving or whirling, especially as a result of dizziness or giddiness

A brief trip by vehicle, especially one made for pleasure.

To change position from side to side or back and forth

A bundle of spun material; a mass of strands and filaments.

To progress through pages so as to arrive at a given place

A single play of a record by a radio station.

To operate a lathe.

A search of a prisoner's cell for forbidden articles.

To be formed on a lathe

(dated) An unmarried woman; a spinster.

To direct one's way or course

(uncountable) The use of an exercise bicycle, especially as part of a gym class.

To change or reverse one's way, course, or direction

Special interest of an autistic person.

To change one's actions or attitudes adversely; become hostile or antagonistic

To draw out, and twist into threads, either by the hand or machinery; as, to spin wool, cotton, or flax; to spin goat's hair; to produce by drawing out and twisting a fibrous material.

To attack suddenly and violently with no apparent motive

To draw out tediously; to form by a slow process, or by degrees; to extend to a great length; - with out; as, to spin out large volumes on a subject.

To channel one's attention, interest, or thought toward or away from something

To protract; to spend by delays; as, to spin out the day in idleness.

To devote or apply oneself to something, as to a field of study

To cause to turn round rapidly; to whirl; to twirl; as, to spin a top.

To convert to a religion.

To form (a web, a cocoon, silk, or the like) from threads produced by the extrusion of a viscid, transparent liquid, which hardens on coming into contact with the air; - said of the spider, the silkworm, etc.

To switch one's loyalty from one side or party to another.

To shape, as malleable sheet metal, into a hollow form, by bending or buckling it by pressing against it with a smooth hand tool or roller while the metal revolves, as in a lathe.

To have recourse to a person or thing for help, support, or information

To practice spinning; to work at drawing and twisting threads; to make yarn or thread from fiber; as, the woman knows how to spin; a machine or jenny spins with great exactness.

To start to use (something) as a solution to a problem or relief of distress

To move round rapidly; to whirl; to revolve, as a top or a spindle, about its axis.

To depend on something for success or failure; hinge

To stream or issue in a thread or a small current or jet; as, blood spinsfrom a vein.

To change so as to be; become

To move swifty; as, to spin along the road in a carriage, on a bicycle, etc.

To change; become transformed. Used with to or into

The act of spinning; as, the spin of a top; a spin a bicycle.

To change color

Velocity of rotation about some specified axis.

To become sour

An interpretation of an event which is favorable to the interpreter or to the person s/he supports. A person whose task is to provide such interpretations for public relations purposes is called a spin doctor.

To be stocked and sold

A swift whirling motion (usually of a missile)

To become dull or blunt by bending back. Used of the edge of a cutting instrument.

The act of rotating rapidly;

The act of turning or the condition of being turned; rotation or revolution.

A short drive in a car;

A change of direction, motion, or position

Rapid descent of an aircraft in a steep spiral

A place, as in a road or path, where a change in direction occurs; a curve

A distinctive interpretation (especially as used by politicians to sway public opinion);

A change or deviation, as in a trend

Revolve quickly and repeatedly around one's own axis;

A change or development in a particular way

Stream in jets, of liquids;

A variation of a given kind or type

Cause to spin;

A point marking the end of one period of time and the beginning of the next

Make up a story;

The midway point in a round of 18 holes of golf, at which the first set of nine holes has been completed.

Form a web by making a thread;

A period of participation

Work natural fibers into a thread;

A chance or opportunity

Twist and turn so as to give an intended interpretation;

One of a series of such opportunities accorded people in succession or in scheduled order

Prolong or extend;

An attack of illness or severe nervousness.

A momentary shock or scare

A characteristic mood, style, or habit; a natural inclination

A distinctive, graceful, or artistic expression or arrangement of words

A deed or action having a good or bad effect on another

A short walk or excursion out and back

A single wind or convolution, as of wire on a spool.

(Music) A figure or ornament, usually consisting of four or more notes in rapid succession and including the principal note, the one a degree above it, and the one a degree below it.

A brief theatrical act or stage appearance.

A transaction on the stock market involving both a sale and a purchase.

The fourth community card in Texas hold'em.

Upper Southern & South Atlantic US An amount that can be carried or transported in one load

To make a non-linear physical movement.

(intransitive) Of a body, person, etc, to move around an axis through itself.

(transitive) To change the direction or orientation of, especially by rotation.

(intransitive) To change one's direction of travel.

(transitive) To shape (something) symmetrically by rotating it against a stationary cutting tool, as on a lathe.

(by extension) To give form to; to shape or mould; to adapt.

(transitive) To position (something) by folding it, or using its folds.

To navigate through a book or other printed material.

Of a bowler, to make (the ball) move sideways off the pitch when it bounces.

Of a ball, to move sideways off the pitch when it bounces.

(intransitive) To change condition or attitude.

(copulative) To become begin to be.

(intransitive) To change the color of the leaves in the autumn.

To change fundamentally; to metamorphose.

To reach a certain age.

To hinge; to depend.

To rebel; to go against something formerly tolerated.

To change personal condition.

To change one's course of action; to take a new approach.

To complete.

(transitive) To make (money); turn a profit.

Of a player, to go past an opposition player with the ball in one's control.

To undergo the process of turning on a lathe.

(obstetrics) To bring down the feet of a child in the womb, in order to facilitate delivery.

To invert a type of the same thickness, as a temporary substitute for any sort which is exhausted.

(archaic) To translate.

To magically or divinely attack undead.

A change of direction or orientation.

A movement of an object about its own axis in one direction that continues until the object returns to its initial orientation.

(geometry) A unit of plane angle measurement based on this movement.

A walk to and fro.

A chance to use (something) shared in sequence with others.

A spell of work, especially the time allotted to a person in a rota or schedule.

One's chance to make a move in a game having two or more players.

A figure in music, often denoted ~, consisting of the note above the one indicated, the note itself, the note below the one indicated, and the note itself again.

The time required to complete a project.

A fit or a period of giddiness.

A change in temperament or circumstance.

(cricket) A sideways movement of the ball when it bounces (caused by rotation in flight).

(poker) The fourth communal card in Texas hold 'em.

The flop (the first three community cards) in Texas hold 'em.

A deed done to another; an act of kindness or malice.

A single loop of a coil.

(rope) A pass behind or through an object.

Character; personality; nature.

(soccer) An instance of going past an opposition player with the ball in one's control.

A short skit, act, or routine.

A type turned upside down to serve for another character that is not available.

The profit made by a stockjobber, being the difference between the buying and selling prices.

To cause to move upon a center, or as if upon a center; to give circular motion to; to cause to revolve; to cause to move round, either partially, wholly, or repeatedly; to make to change position so as to present other sides in given directions; to make to face otherwise; as, to turn a wheel or a spindle; to turn the body or the head.

To cause to present a different side uppermost or outmost; to make the upper side the lower, or the inside to be the outside of; to reverse the position of; as, to turn a box or a board; to turn a coat.

To give another direction, tendency, or inclination to; to direct otherwise; to deflect; to incline differently; - used both literally and figuratively; as, to turn the eyes to the heavens; to turn a horse from the road, or a ship from her course; to turn the attention to or from something.

To change from a given use or office; to divert, as to another purpose or end; to transfer; to use or employ; to apply; to devote.

To change the form, quality, aspect, or effect of; to alter; to metamorphose; to convert; to transform; - often with to or into before the word denoting the effect or product of the change; as, to turn a worm into a winged insect; to turn green to blue; to turn prose into verse; to turn a Whig to a Tory, or a Hindu to a Christian; to turn good to evil, and the like.

To form in a lathe; to shape or fashion (anything) by applying a cutting tool to it while revolving; as, to turn the legs of stools or tables; to turn ivory or metal.

Hence, to give form to; to shape; to mold; to put in proper condition; to adapt.

To translate; to construe; as, to turn the Iliad.

To make acid or sour; to ferment; to curdle, etc.: as, to turn cider or wine; electricity turns milk quickly.

To make a turn about or around (something); to go or pass around by turning; as, to turn a corner.

To sicken; to nauseate; as, an emetic turns one's stomach.

To move round; to have a circular motion; to revolve entirely, repeatedly, or partially; to change position, so as to face differently; to whirl or wheel round; as, a wheel turns on its axis; a spindle turns on a pivot; a man turns on his heel.

Hence, to revolve as if upon a point of support; to hinge; to depend; as, the decision turns on a single fact.

To result or terminate; to come about; to eventuate; to issue.

To be deflected; to take a different direction or tendency; to be directed otherwise; to be differently applied; to be transferred; as, to turn from the road.

To be changed, altered, or transformed; to become transmuted; also, to become by a change or changes; to grow; as, wood turns to stone; water turns to ice; one color turns to another; to turn Muslim.

To undergo the process of turning on a lathe; as, ivory turns well.

To become acid; to sour; - said of milk, ale, etc.

To become giddy; - said of the head or brain.

To invert a type of the same thickness, as temporary substitute for any sort which is exhausted.

To be nauseated; - said of the stomach.

To become inclined in the other direction; - said of scales.

To change from ebb to flow, or from flow to ebb; - said of the tide.

To bring down the feet of a child in the womb, in order to facilitate delivery.

The act of turning; movement or motion about, or as if about, a center or axis; revolution; as, the turn of a wheel.

Change of direction, course, or tendency; different order, position, or aspect of affairs; alteration; vicissitude; as, the turn of the tide.

One of the successive portions of a course, or of a series of occurrences, reckoning from change to change; hence, a winding; a bend; a meander.

A circuitous walk, or a walk to and fro, ending where it began; a short walk; a stroll.

Successive course; opportunity enjoyed by alternation with another or with others, or in due order; due chance; alternate or incidental occasion; appropriate time.

Incidental or opportune deed or office; occasional act of kindness or malice; as, to do one an ill turn.

Convenience; occasion; purpose; exigence; as, this will not serve his turn.

Form; cast; shape; manner; fashion; - used in a literal or figurative sense; hence, form of expression; mode of signifying; as, the turn of thought; a man of a sprightly turn in conversation.

A change of condition; especially, a sudden or recurring symptom of illness, as a nervous shock, or fainting spell; as, a bad turn.

A fall off the ladder at the gallows; a hanging; - so called from the practice of causing the criminal to stand on a ladder which was turned over, so throwing him off, when the signal was given.

A round of a rope or cord in order to secure it, as about a pin or a cleat.

A pit sunk in some part of a drift.

A court of record, held by the sheriff twice a year in every hundred within his county.

Monthly courses; menses.

An embellishment or grace (marked thus, ), commonly consisting of the principal note, or that on which the turn is made, with the note above, and the semitone below, the note above being sounded first, the principal note next, and the semitone below last, the three being performed quickly, as a triplet preceding the marked note. The turn may be inverted so as to begin with the lower note, in which case the sign is either placed on end thus , or drawn thus .

A circular segment of a curve;

The act of changing or reversing the direction of the course;

The activity of doing something in an agreed succession;

An unforeseen development;

A movement in a new direction;

Turning away or in the opposite direction;

Turning or twisting around (in place);

A time for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else);

(sports) a period of play during which one team is on the offensive

A short theatrical performance that is part of a longer program;

A favor for someone;

Taking a short walk out and back;

Change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense;

Undergo a change or development;

Undergo a transformation or a change of position or action;

Cause to move around or rotate;

Pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become;

To send or let go;

Pass to the other side of;

Move around an axis or a center;

Cause to move around a center so as to show another side of;

Change to the contrary;

To break and turn over earth especially with a plow;

Change color;

Cause to change or turn into something different;assume new characteristics;

Let (something) fall or spill a container;

Twist suddenly so as to sprain;

Shape by rotating on a lathe or cutting device or a wheel;

Go sour or spoil;

Accomplish by rotating;

Get by buying and selling;

Cause to move along an axis or into a new direction;

Channel one's attention, interest, thought, or attention toward or away from something;

Cause (a plastic object) to assume a crooked or angular form;

Alter the functioning or setting of;

Direct at someone;

Have recourse to or make an appeal or request for help or information to;

Become officially one year older;