spin doctor

noun

1. Slang. a press agent skilled at spin control.

spin doctor

noun

1. informal.
   a person who provides a favourable slant to an item of news, potentially unpopular policy, etc, esp on behalf of a political personality or party

Word History and Origins

Origin of spin doctor¹

First recorded in 1985–1990

Word History and Origins

Origin of spin doctor¹

C20: from the spin given to a ball in various sports to make it go in the desired direction

Idioms and Phrases

An individual charged with getting others to interpret a statement or event from a particular viewpoint, as in Charlie is the governor's spin doctor . This term, born about 1980 along with spin control , uses doctor in the colloquial sense of “one who repairs something.”

Example Sentences

A spin doctor with ties to Russia allegedly fed the Steele dossier before fighting to discredit itDanchenko’s first assignment for Steele was an investment-related risk assessment based on openly available sources.

From Washington Post

Democratic governments elsewhere seek validation from the media, and their spin doctors toil for favorable headlines.

From Time

A think tank headed by Gleb Pavlovsky, a pro-Kremlin spin doctor, launched the Internet newspaper Lenta.ru about the same time.

From The Daily Beast

As the shelling raged, Capt. Ammar al-Wawi, the rebel commander and spin doctor, was holding court in a Turkish luxury hotel.

From The Daily Beast

Of course, Awlaki is a spin doctor and a propagandist, so we should read his rantings with some skepticism.

From The Daily Beast

And if he was experiencing emotional tumult in 2009, no high-profile spin-doctor or rehab vacation was apparently necessary.

From The Daily Beast

Related Words

• publicist