spinoff

Imagine your favorite TV show has a side character everyone loves. Sometimes that character gets their own show. That is a spinoff: something new that grows out of something that already exists. It may come from a TV series, a movie, a book, or another project, but it stands on its own and has its own identity.

We often use the word in entertainment, but it is also common in business. A large company may turn one part of its business into a separate company. For example, Better Call Saul is a famous television spinoff of Breaking Bad, and some tech companies began as spinoffs from university research.

A "spinoff" refers to something new that develops from something older and more established. It begins with an existing story, company, product, or idea, but then becomes a separate thing with its own role and direction. The word suggests something turning away from the original and moving out on its own.

In television and film, a spinoff is a new series or movie that comes from an existing one. It may use the same characters, setting, or world, but it usually tells a different story. Unlike a direct sequel, which continues the main plot, a spinoff often follows a side character, a new setting, or a different part of the same fictional world. Frasier, for example, was a very successful spinoff of Cheers, taking a supporting character and building a new show around him.

But spinoffs are not limited to entertainment. In the business world, a spinoff happens when a company separates one part of itself and turns it into its own independent company. This lets the new business focus on its own products or goals. In science and technology, the word can also describe a new product or practical use that grows out of earlier research.

The key idea is that the new thing comes from something else but does not remain just a copy of it. It has a clear connection to the original, yet it also has its own purpose, form, or audience. So when you hear the word "spinoff," think of something that started from an earlier source and then grew into something separate.