different between spin vs stagger

English

Etymology

From Middle English spinnen, from Old English spinnan, from Proto-Germanic *spinnan?. Compare Low German spinnen, Dutch spinnen, German spinnen, Danish spinde, Swedish spinna.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sp?n/
• Rhymes: -?n

Verb

spin (third-person singular simple present spins, present participle spinning, simple past and past participle spun or span)

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

   I spun myself around a few times.

   Spin the ball on the floor.

   She spun around and gave him a big smile.
2. (transitive) To make yarn by twisting and winding fibers together.

   They spin the cotton into thread.
3. To present, describe, or interpret, or to introduce a bias or slant, so as to give something a favorable or advantageous appearance.
4. (cricket, of a bowler) To make the ball move sideways when it bounces on the pitch.
5. (cricket, of a ball) To move sideways when bouncing.
6. (cooking) To form into thin strips or ribbons, as with sugar
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. To move swiftly.

   to spin along the road in a carriage, on a bicycle, etc.

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

    Blood spins from a vein.
11. (computing, programming, intransitive) To wait in a loop until some condition becomes true.
12. (transitive, informal) To play (vinyl records, etc.) as a disc jockey.
    • 2002, CMJ New Music Report (volume 70, number 12)

      However, for the past six years he has been spinning his novel blend of progressive house and trance music and is finally on the brink of becoming the next luminary DJ.

13. (intransitive) To use an exercise bicycle, especially as part of a gym class.
14. An abnormal condition in journal bearings where the bearing seizes to the shaft that is rotating and rotates inside the journal, destroying both the shaft and the journal.
15. (Britain, law enforcement, slang, transitive) To search rapidly.
    • 2013, Nick Oldham, Psycho Alley

      But then again, unless someone struck lucky in those first few hours, there weren't even enough detectives to spin a drum [house].

Synonyms

• (give something a favorable appearance): whitewash, sugarcoat, put lipstick on, gild, blandish, dress up

Hypernyms

• revolve
• rotate
• turn

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• turn around

Noun

spin (countable and uncountable, plural spins)

1. Rapid circular motion.

   The car went into a spin.

   The skaters demonstrated their spins.

   He put some spin on the cue ball.

2. (physics) A quantum angular momentum associated with subatomic particles, which also creates a magnetic moment.
3. (countable, uncountable) A favourable comment or interpretation intended to bias opinion on an otherwise unpleasant situation.

   Try to put a positive spin on the disappointing sales figures.

   The politician was mocked in the press for his reliance on spin rather than facts.

   Synonym: propaganda

4. (sports) Rotation of the ball as it flies through the air; sideways movement of the ball as it bounces.
5. (aviation) A condition of flight where a stalled aircraft is simultaneously pitching, yawing and rolling in a spinning motion.
6. A brief trip by vehicle, especially one made for pleasure.
7. A bundle of spun material; a mass of strands and filaments.
   • 1913, DH Lawrence, Sons and Lovers, chapter 1

     She left him alone, and went to get Annie a spin of toffee.

8. A single play of a record by a radio station.
   • 1996, Billboard (volume 108, number 12, page 37)

     Although the Loveless title showed the smallest increase in airplay in the top 10, its number of detections outpaced the nearest bulleted title by more than 350 spins.

9. (Britain, prison slang) A search of a prisoner's cell for forbidden articles.
   • 2002, Jeffrey Archer, A Prison Diary

     Mr Weedon explains that this is a cell search - known by prisoners as a spin - and for obvious reasons it has to be carried out without any warning.

10. (dated) Unmarried woman, spinster.
    • 1893, Bithia Mary Croker, "To Let" in "To Let" etc., Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott, 1906, p. 1, [2]

      Some years ago, when I was a slim young spin, I came out to India to live with my brother Tom […]

11. (uncountable) The use of an exercise bicycle, especially as part of a gym class.
12. (nautical) Short for spinnaker.

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

• Insp, NIPs, NPIs, Nips, PINs, PSNI, nips, pins, snip

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sp?n/
• Hyphenation: spin
• Rhymes: -?n

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch spinne.

Noun

spin f (plural spinnen, diminutive spinnetje n)

1. spider, member of the order Araneae

Derived terms

• kruisspin
• spinnekop
• spinnendoder
• spinnenweb
• vogelspin
• wolfsspin

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English spin.

Noun

spin m (plural spins)

1. (physics) particle spin

Derived terms

• kernspin

Etymology 3

Borrowed from English spin.

Noun

spin m (uncountable)

1. political spin, media spin

Derived terms

• spindoctor

Etymology 4

See the etymology of the main entry.

Verb

spin

1. first-person singular present indicative of spinnen
2. imperative of spinnen

Faroese

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spi?n/

Noun

spin n (genitive singular spins, uncountable)

1. sperm

Declension

Synonyms

• spina

Anagrams

• nisp
• pins

Finnish

Etymology

Borrowed from English spin.

Alternative forms

• spinni

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?spin/, [?s?pin]
• Rhymes: -in
• Syllabification: spin

Noun

spin

1. (physics) spin

Declension

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English spin.

Noun

spin m (plural spins)

1. (physics) spin

Derived terms

• spineur

Friulian

Etymology

From Latin sp?nus.

Noun

spin m (plural spins)

1. thorn bush

Related terms

• spine

Garo

Etymology

Cognate with Kokborok siping (“sesame”).

Noun

spin

1. sesame

Hungarian

Etymology

From English spin.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -in

Noun

spin (plural spinek)

1. (physics) spin (quantum angular momentum)

Declension

References

Middle English

Noun

spin

1. Alternative form of spyne

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sp?in/

Etymology 1

From English spin.

Noun

spin m inan

1. (physics) spin (quantum angular momentum)

Declension

Derived terms

• (adjective) spinowy

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the main entry.

Noun

spin f

1. genitive plural of spina

Further reading

• spin in Wielki s?ownik j?zyka polskiego, Instytut J?zyka Polskiego PAN
• spin in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from English spin.

Noun

spin m (plural spins)

1. (physics) spin (quantum angular momentum of subatomic particles)

Romanian

Etymology

From Latin sp?nus, from sp?na, from Proto-Italic *spein?, from Proto-Indo-European *spey- (“sharp point”). Compare Aromanian schin

Noun

spin m (plural spini)

1. thorn

Declension

Synonyms

• ghimpe, aculeu

Related terms

• spinos

Scots

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sp?n/

Noun

spin (plural spins)

1. (South Scots) Alternative form of spuin

Spanish

Alternative forms

• espín

Etymology

Borrowed from English spin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /es?pin/, [es?p?n]

Noun

spin m (plural spines)

1. spin (clarification of this definition is needed)

West Frisian

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

spin c (plural spinnen, diminutive spintsje)

1. spider

Further reading

• “spin”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011

English

Etymology

From Middle English stageren, stakeren, from Old Norse stakra (“to push, stagger”). Cognate with dialectal Danish stagre.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?stæ??/?
• (US) IPA^(key): /?stæ??/
• Rhymes: -æ??(r)

Noun

stagger (plural staggers)

1. An unsteady movement of the body in walking or standing as if one were about to fall; a reeling motion
   • 7 October 2012, Paolo Bandini in The Guardian, Denver Broncos 21 New England Patriots 31 - as it happened

     Put down the rosary beads folks, I believe hell may just have frozen over. Peyton Manning drops back, sees nothing open and runs for a first down. If you can call that running. More like the stagger of a wounded rhino. Did the job, though

   • 1861, Ellen Wood, East Lynne Chapter 39

     Afy slowly gathered in the sense of the words. She gasped twice, as if her breath had gone, and then, with a stagger and a shiver, fell heavily to the ground.

   • 1843, Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol Stave 2

     And when old Fezziwig and Mrs. Fezziwig had gone all through the dance; advance and retire; both hands to your partner, bow and courtesy, corkscrew, thread the needle, and back again to your place; Fezziwig "cut"—cut so deftly that he appeared to wink with his legs, and came upon his feet again without a stagger.

2. (veterinary medicine) A disease of horses and other animals, attended by reeling, unsteady gait or sudden falling

3. Bewilderment; perplexity.
4. The spacing out of various actions over time.
   • 19 April 2016, Rachel Roddy in The Guardian, Rachel Roddy’s Roman spring vegetable stew recipe

     I don’t include cured pork, although it is very nice, and rather than putting everything in the pan at once I prefer a stagger of ingredients, which ensures each one gets the right amount of time.

5. (motor racing) The difference in circumference between the left and right tires on a racing vehicle. It is used on oval tracks to make the car turn better in the corners.
6. (aviation) The horizontal positioning of a biplane, triplane, or multiplane's wings in relation to one another.

Translations

Verb

stagger (third-person singular simple present staggers, present participle staggering, simple past and past participle staggered)

1. Sway unsteadily, reel, or totter.
   1. (intransitive) In standing or walking, to sway from one side to the other as if about to fall; to stand or walk unsteadily; to reel or totter.

      She began to stagger across the room.

      • Deep was the wound; he staggered with the blow.

   2. (transitive) To cause to reel or totter.

      The powerful blow of his opponent's fist staggered the boxer.
   3. (intransitive) To cease to stand firm; to begin to give way; to fail.
      • 1708, Joseph Addison, The Present State of the War, and the Necessity of an Augmentation

        The enemy staggers.

2. Doubt, waver, be shocked.
   1. (intransitive) To begin to doubt and waver in purposes; to become less confident or determined; to hesitate.

      • He [Abraham] staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief.

   2. (transitive) To cause to doubt and waver; to make to hesitate; to make less steady or confident; to shock.

      He will stagger the committee when he presents his report.

      • 1640, James Howell, England's Teares for the present Warres

        whosoever will be curious to read the future story of this intricate war , if it be possible to compile a story of it , he will find himself much staggered.

      • 1796, Edmund Burke, a letter to a noble lord

        Grants to the house of Russell were so enormous, as not only to outrage economy, but even to stagger credibility.

3. (transitive) Have multiple groups doing the same thing in a uniform fashion, but starting at different, evenly-spaced, times or places (attested from 1856).
   1. To arrange (a series of parts) on each side of a median line alternately, as the spokes of a wheel or the rivets of a boiler seam.
   2. To arrange similar objects such that each is ahead or above and to one side of the next.

      We will stagger the starting positions for the race on the oval track.

   3. To schedule in intervals.

      We will stagger the run so the faster runners can go first, then the joggers.

Translations

See also

• bestagger
• staggeringly
• staggers

References

Anagrams

• gagster, gargets, taggers