HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY
To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.
Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.
THE USAGE PANEL
The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.
AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP
The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG
The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more.
INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?
Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com
v. spun (spŭn), spin·ning, spins v.intr. 1. To rotate rapidly; whirl. See Synonyms at turn. 2. To have a sensation of whirling, as from dizziness; reel: My head spun after I did a cartwheel. 3. To make thread or yarn by drawing out and twisting fibers. 4. To extrude viscous filaments, forming a web or cocoon. 5. To fish with a light rod, lure, and line and a reel with a stationary spool. v.tr. 1. To cause to rotate swiftly; twirl: spin a top. 2. To shape or manufacture by a twirling or rotating process. 3. Informal To play (a recorded piece of music, such as a phonograph record), especially as a disc jockey. 4. To provide an interpretation of (a statement or event, for example), especially in a way meant to sway public opinion: "a messenger who spins bogus research into a vile theology of hatred" (William A. Henry III). 5. a. To draw out and twist (fibers) into thread. b. To form (thread or yarn) in this manner. 6. To form (a web or cocoon, for example) by extruding viscous filaments. 7. To relate or create: spin a story. n. Phrasal Verbs: 1. The act of spinning. 2. A swift whirling motion. 3. A state of mental confusion: I've been in a spin about this all week. 4. Informal A short drive in a vehicle: took a spin in the new car. 5. The flight condition of an aircraft in a nose-down, spiraling, stalled descent. 6. a. A distinctive point of view, emphasis, or interpretation: "adept at putting spin on an apparently neutral recital of facts" (Robert M. Adams). b. A distinctive character or style: an innovative chef who puts a new spin on traditional fare. 7. Physics a. The angular momentum of rotation of a rigid body about its own axis. b. The intrinsic angular momentum of a subatomic particle. Also called spin angular momentum. spin off To derive (a company or product, for example) from something larger. spin out Idiom: 1. To rotate out of control, as a skidding car leaving a roadway. 2. To prolong or extend: spin out a visit with an old friend. spin (one's) wheels Informal To expend effort with no result. [Middle English spinnen, to twist fiber into thread, from Old English spinnan; see (s)pen- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
