spinning

spinning — noun

1. an indoor exercise programme in which people ride special exercise bikes in a cl

1.nounB1
Definition

an indoor exercise programme in which people ride special exercise bikes in a class, following the instructor's lead while music plays

Example

Jiwoo signed up for a Tuesday morning spinning class that starts at six.

collocation: spinning class

The instructor turned up the music and everyone in the spinning class pedalled faster together.

spinning class as a group activity led by an instructor

Common collocations
  • spinning class
  • spinning bike
  • spinning session
  • do spinning
  • spinning instructor
  • spinning studio
Synonyms
  • indoor cycling

    the generic, non-branded term for stationary bike workouts

  • cycling class

    emphasises the group session format rather than the exercise method

Grammar Patterns

spinning + noun (class / bike / session)

Usage Note

The word is trademarked as Spinning® but is commonly written in lowercase in everyday gym conversation. Outdoor road cycling is not called spinning, even in casual speech.

Common Mistakes

I went spinning on the road with my bicycle club.
I went spinning at the gym for an hour this morning.
Spinning happens indoors on stationary bikes, never on real roads.

2. the traditional craft of twisting raw fibres such as wool or cotton into a conti

2.nounB2
Definition

the traditional craft of twisting raw fibres such as wool or cotton into a continuous thread or yarn, done by hand with tools like a spinning wheel or spindle, or by machine in a factory

Example

Gita learned the art of spinning from her grandmother, who used a wooden spinning wheel.

spinning wheel as traditional tool

The museum exhibit showed how spinning was done by hand before factories used large machines.

hand spinning vs. machine spinning

Common collocations
  • spinning wheel
  • hand spinning
  • spinning wool
  • spinning cotton
  • spinning mill
  • spinning technique
Synonyms
  • yarn-making

    descriptive term focusing on the finished product

  • thread-making

    narrower term that emphasises a finer end result than yarn

Grammar Patterns

spinning + noun (wool / cotton / fibre)

Common Mistakes

She is spinning the wool into cloth.
She is spinning the wool into thread. Weaving turns thread into cloth.
Spinning produces thread or yarn; cloth is made by weaving or knitting that thread.

Word family

  • spin
    verbB1
  • spin
    nounB1
  • spinner
    nounB2
  • spindle
    nounC1
  • spinning wheel
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Spinning refers specifically to a trademarked brand of indoor cycling exercise (notably Spinning®), whereas indoor cycling is the generic umbrella term for any stationary-bike workout. Cycling class emphasises the group session and instructor-led format rather than the type of bike. Stationary biking is the broadest category, covering solo gym sessions and home exercise as well as group classes. In casual gym talk, 'going to spinning' is far more common than 'going to indoor cycling', but the brand-neutral term is preferred in formal descriptions — a gym brochure would say 'indoor cycling classes' rather than 'spinning classes' to avoid trademark issues. For example: 'I joined a spinning class to get fit' sounds natural between friends, while 'The community centre offers indoor cycling sessions for seniors' avoids brand-specific language.

spinning ↗indoor cyclingcycling classstationary biking

Common collocations

Nouns

  • spinning machine
  • spinning technique
  • spinning room
  • spinning instructor

Phrases

  • do spinning
  • take up spinning
  • go spinning

Prepositions

  • in spinning
  • for spinning
  • of spinning

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

The word comes from the Old English spinnan, meaning 'to draw out and twist fibres into thread', which traces back to the Proto-Germanic root spennanan. The craft sense has been in continuous use for over a thousand years, while the exercise sense is much newer — it was trademarked in the 1990s by South African cyclist Jonathan 'Johnny G' Goldberg, who created the Spinning® brand of indoor cycling classes and stationary bikes.