Definition of "spinoff" [spinoff]

• A divestiture by a corporation of a division or subsidiary by issuing to stockholders shares in a new company set up to continue the operations of the division or subsidiary. (noun)
• The new company formed by such a divestiture. (noun)
• Something, such as a product, that is derived from something larger and more or less unrelated; a byproduct. (noun)
• Something derived from an earlier work, such as a television show starring a character who had a popular minor role in another show. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "If Pardes is a DDLJ spinoff then I think you need to re-examine the term spinoff!"
• "One of the problems with Hank, aside from the impression it gives that it's a long-lost Petticoat Junction spinoff, is that the characters seem to adopt whatever trait the writers find most convenient at the moment."
• "The Altria Group Inc. spinoff is evaluating those conditions, and Philip Morris said Wednesday it expects to decide whether it will proceed with the deal within the next three months."