A spinner is a toy that spins around a center point, or a person or thing that spins. The classic spinner is a small disk you flick with your fingers to make it whirl. In board games, spinners replace dice: you flick an arrow on a circular board, and where it stops tells you how many spaces to move or what action to take.

In fishing, a spinner is a lure with a blade that rotates in the water, flashing and vibrating to attract fish. The spinning motion makes it look like a small fish swimming, which tricks bigger fish into biting.

The word also describes people who spin things. A spinner might be someone who spins wool into yarn using a spinning wheel, an ancient craft that turns fluffy sheep's wool into thread for weaving. In cricket, a spinner is a bowler who makes the ball spin sharply when it hits the ground, making it harder for the batter to predict where it will go.

You might also hear about spin doctors or people who “spin” stories, meaning they present information in a way that makes their side look good. That's a different use of the word spinner, but it shows how the idea of spinning connects to turning something around.