spin down

1. To decelerate (to some speed or state) while spinning. She shut off the power and the rotating cylinder spun down to a stop.

2. To travel (to some location) for a brief visit or a specific purpose. Almost always followed by "to." Why don't we spin down to the beach for the afternoon? I'm going to spin down to the mall to see if I can find anything to wear to Sarah's wedding.

3. To reduce the spin speed of a computer's hard disk drive. The computer automatically spins down the disk drive in order to conserve power when it no longer needs to read or write data.

4. To spin some solution in a centrifuge in order to separate it into its constituent components. A noun or pronoun can be used between "spin" and "down." The researchers then spin down the blood samples to isolate the plasma within them. Spinning the solution down is an effective way to extract insoluble materials from it.