spin-off

US/ˈspɪn.ɔf/UK/ˈspɪn.ɒf/

noun

An offshoot.

“"Frasier" was a spin-off from the sitcom "Cheers".”

Meanings

nounspin-off (plural spin-offs)

plural spin-offs · alternative spinoff

  1. An offshoot.

    We are about to broach the fraught saga of the Circle Line, but there is another Metropolitan spin-off that comes first, one that has always appealed to me by the baleful beauty of its name: the City Widened Lines or 'The Widened Lines' for short.

    2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, pages 51–52
  2. An incidental benefit or unexpected pay-off.

    Space research often provides a spin-off for everyday technology.

  3. fictionA fictional work where the protagonist was introduced in a preceding work or at least shares the same setting, often in a different aspect.

    "Frasier" was a spin-off from the sitcom "Cheers".

    1 more example

    The Harry Potter spin-off prequel series Fantastic Beasts has been “parked” by Warner Bros, according to its director David Yates.

    2023 October 27, “Fantastic Beasts: JK Rowling franchise has been ‘parked’, director says”, in The Guardian, →ISSN
  4. The formation of a subsidiary company that continues the operations of part of the parent company; the company so formed.

    Synonyms: hive-off

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe formation of a subsidiary company that continues the operations of part of the parent company; the company so formed.

Similar

More synonyms by meaning

nouna product made during the manufacture of something else

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Translations

Catalan esqueix
  • esqueixfictional work
Chinese Mandarin 副产品, 衍生作品
  • 副产品 (fùchǎnpǐn)incidental benefit or unexpected pay-off
  • 衍生作品 (yǎnshēng zuòpǐn)fictional work
  • 番外篇 (fānwàipiān)fictional work
  • 分流企業 /分流企业 (fēnliú qǐyè)formation of a subsidiary, the company so formed
Esperanto kromprodukto
  • kromproduktofictional work
Finnish lisähyöty, sivutuote
  • lisähyötyincidental benefit or unexpected pay-off
  • sivutuoteincidental benefit or unexpected pay-off
  • spin offincidental benefit or unexpected pay-off
  • spin offfictional work
  • spin off -ohjelma (TV program)fictional work
  • oheisteosfictional work
  • sivuteosfictional work
  • oheissarjafictional work
  • sivusarjafictional work
  • irrottaminenformation of a subsidiary, the company so formed
  • spinnaaminenformation of a subsidiary, the company so formed
  • irrokkiformation of a subsidiary, the company so formed
French spin-off
  • spin-offfictional work
German Ableger, Ableger
  • Ablegerfictional work
  • Ablegerformation of a subsidiary, the company so formed
  • Spin-offformation of a subsidiary, the company so formed
Greek τεχνοβλαστός
  • τεχνοβλαστός (technovlastós)formation of a subsidiary, the company so formed
Japanese 外伝, スピンオフ
  • 外伝 (gaiden)fictional work
  • スピンオフ (supin-ofu)fictional work
Korean 스핀오프
  • 스핀오프 (seupinopeu)fictional work
Malay cerita ranting
  • cerita rantingfictional work
Polish produkt uboczny, spin-off
  • produkt ubocznyincidental benefit or unexpected pay-off
  • spin-offfictional work
  • spółka wydzielonaformation of a subsidiary, the company so formed
Portuguese spin-off
  • spin-offfictional work
Russian спин-о́фф
  • спин-о́фф (spin-óff)fictional work
Spanish obra derivada, esqueje
  • obra derivadafictional work
  • esquejefictional work
Swedish spin-off, spin-off
  • spin-offfictional work
  • spin-offformation of a subsidiary, the company so formed
Cite this entry
APA

spin-off. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spin-off

MLA

“spin-off.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spin-off. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spin-off,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spin-off.

Source: spin-off on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.