a broad, shallow container of metal, usually having sides flaring outward toward the top, used in various forms for frying, baking, washing, etc.
any similar receptacle or part, as the scales of a balance.
the amount a pan holds or can hold; panful.
a pan of shelled peas.
any of various open or closed containers used in industrial or mechanical processes.
a container in which silver ores are ground and amalgamated.
a container in which gold or other heavy, valuable metals are separated from gravel or other substances by agitation with water.
a drifting piece of flat, thin ice, as formed on a shore or bay.
a natural depression in the ground, as one containing water, mud, or mineral salts.
a similar depression made artificially, as for evaporating salt water to make salt.
(in old guns) the depressed part of the lock, holding the priming.
Also panning an unfavorable review, critique, or appraisal.
The show got one rave and three pans.
Slang. the face.
Informal. to criticize severely, as in a review of a play.
to wash (gravel, sand, etc.) in a pan to separate gold or other heavy, valuable metal.
to separate (gold or other heavy, valuable metal) from gravel or sand in this way.
to cook or bake in a pan.
to wash gravel, sand, etc., in a pan in seeking gold or the like.
to yield gold or the like, as gravel washed in a pan.
to film, photograph, or televise something with the camera fixed in place and pivoted horizontally left or right, in order to keep a moving person or object in view or to capture a wide view.
They usually pan from one end of the playing field to the other during the opening of the football game.
(of a camera) to be pivoted horizontally to the right or left from a fixed place in order to keep a moving person or object in view or to capture a wide view.
The cameras panned occasionally during the scene.
to pivot (a camera) on its horizontal axis in order to follow a moving person or thing, or to capture an extended view.
to pan the camera across the scene.
to photograph, film, or televise (a scene, moving character, etc.) by pivoting the camera on its horizontal axis.
pan the skyline.
Audio. to direct (a signal output) to one of the speakers in a sound system, to a point between speakers, or, especially, through a continuum from one side to the other to create the impression that the source is moving.
They gradually panned the vocal recording from the right to the left channel as the song progressed.
the act of pivoting a camera, which is fixed in place, to the left or right.
Also called panning shot. the filmed shot resulting from this.
a major vertical division of a wall.
a nogged panel of half-timber construction.
the leaf of the betel.
a substance, especially betel nut or a betel-nut mixture, used for chewing.
the leaf of the betel tree
a preparation of this leaf which is chewed, together with betel nuts and lime, in India and the East Indies
a wide metal vessel used in cooking
( in combination )
saucepan
Also called: panful. the amount such a vessel will hold
any of various similar vessels used esp in industry, as for boiling liquids
a dish used by prospectors, esp gold prospectors, for separating a valuable mineral from the gravel or earth containing it by washing and agitating
either of the two dishlike receptacles on a balance
Also called: lavatory pan. the bowl of a lavatory
a natural or artificial depression in the ground where salt can be obtained by the evaporation of brine
a natural depression containing water or mud
the indented top from an oil drum used as the treble drum in a steel band
a small ice floe
a slang word for face
a small cavity containing priming powder in the locks of old guns
a hard substratum of soil
short for pan loaf
to wash (gravel) in a pan to separate particles of (valuable minerals) from it
(of gravel) to yield valuable minerals by this process
informal (tr) to criticize harshly
the critics panned his new play
all or every
panchromatic
including or relating to all parts or members
Pan-African
pantheistic
What does pan- mean? Pan- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “all.” It is often used in a variety of scientific and technical terms, particularly in pathology. Pan- comes from the Greek pâs, meaning “all.” The term pancreas, a gland in the stomach, is ultimately related to this same Greek root. So do panacea and many other words English gets from Greek. The equivalent form derived from Latin is omni-, as in omnivore, which comes from Latin omnis, “all.”What are variants of pan-?Pan- is a variant of panto-. Another variant of pan- is pant-, as in pantalgia. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles on pant- and panto-.
According to legend, Pan was the source of scary noises in the wilderness at night. Fright at these noises was called “panic.”
Pan's musical instrument was a set of reed pipes, the “pipes of Pan.”
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English panne; cognate with Dutch pan, German Pfanne, Old Norse panna; further origin uncertain, perhaps from assumed Vulgar Latin patna, panna “pan,” from Latin patena, patina “shallow dish, shallow pan, stewpan,” from Greek patánē “dish, flat dish.” Pan, in the sense “face,” is an Americanism first recorded in 1920–25; see origin at paten ( def. )
First recorded in 1920–25; shortening of panorama
First recorded in 1735–45; from French, Middle French; see origin at pane
First recorded in 1610–20; from Hindi pān; compare Pali, Prakrit paṇṇa, Sanskrit parṇa “leaf, betel leaf”
First recorded in 1935–40; by shortening
< Greek pan- combining form of pâs (neuter pân ) all, every, pân everything
A pan can be a cooking utensil, a negative opinion, or a sweeping camera shot. You cook eggs in a pan, but as a film critic you might pan a new docudrama for poor editing and overuse of pan shots. A pan is a shallow metal object that you use to cook food. It can also be a verb indicating you're expressing a negative view. To pan a performance, book, or movie is to say that you think it stunk. If all the critics pan something, sales usually go down, but not always. To pan a film or video camera is to move it from left to right or right to left in a smooth motion.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"It'd all go to waste otherwise," he told AFP, while stirring a metre-radius metal pan perched atop a gas burner filled with ratatouille.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
“While it is difficult to know for sure how things will pan out, our base case remains for de-escalation over time,” the senior currency analyst says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
See more: Tesla sees a $214 billion wipeout as investors pan Elon Musk’s plan to spend ‘as fast as we can’
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Start by heating your cooking oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
Black Star went down the line from pan to pan and nearly foundered himself.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
"He gave us some little tidbits about what was going on, but he never knew anything about the Pan Am bombing. And he knew a lot about Megrahi," Holt says.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
St Lucia's 100m Olympic champion Julien Alfred has also pulled out of the Glasgow Games, while Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh, one of the sport's biggest stars, is favouring the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
It opened in late June in a former Pan Am building near some budget airport hotels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
"What you're seeing now is the most remarkable sight we haven't seen in 10 years," Keelung restaurant owner Penny Pan, 48, said as her husband placed sandbags at the entrance to their eatery.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
The only books for children were a collection of fairy tales and Peter Pan—and she had read Peter Pan at least half a dozen times already.
From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke
Any of the salmon, halibut, scallops and seafood behind the glass display can be poached, pan- or deep-fried for $3 upon request.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 9, 2018
These drugs are pan- genotypic -- meaning they are effective across the different types of hepatitis C. They could become the backbone for an Interferon-free combination.
From BusinessWeek ● Feb. 20, 2012
His decisiveness appeals to those Arabs who dream of pan- Arab unification and worship Arab dignity.
From Time Magazine Archive
When the soldiers have crawled out of their graves and the news of the miracle is broadcast over the earth, pan- demonium is loosed.
From Time Magazine Archive
Place in a broiler and broil, or place in a "frying" pan and pan- broil, turning often.
From School and Home Cooking by Greer, Carlotta Cherryholmes
A high school friend, Michael Shapot, 62, hit the nail on the proverbial head: “Call me Peter Pan. My plan is to never grow up and need senior living.”
From Washington Post ● Feb. 7, 2020
He kept saying, “I’m Peter Pan. I’m living a Peter Pan life.”
From Washington Post ● Aug. 26, 2016
From an ancient Chinese astrological table and the P'u Pan. the necromancer's divining board.
From Time Magazine Archive
“I can’t do it, Percy. My searcher’s license. Pan. I’m going to lose it all. I’ll have to start a puppet theater.”
From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan
“Hush,” she whispered back, “there en’t any choice, Pan. It’s our fault. We got to make it right, and this is the only way.”
From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman
Earlier this week, Joyce Carol Oates panned Wilson’s critique of Christopher Nolan’s big-screen adaptation, and now acclaimed author and journalist Susan Orlean has entered the chat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Warsh’s communication at the July press conference, after the central bank held rates steady at its two-day policy meeting, was widely panned by investors and economists.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
The sentences handed down in the case were widely panned as extreme, considering the actual actions of the defendants and their lack of the sort of criminal records that would typically result in harsher sentencing.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
Bayer’s $63 billion acquisition of Monsanto, the biotech crop-seed and pesticide maker that developed Roundup, has been panned as one of the worst corporate deals of all time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
The camera panned to show the shark’s body in the near distance, hanging awkwardly from the winch.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
Key to how Morgan Stanley sees things panning out is the non-consensus view of the investment bank’s economists who believe the Fed will stay on hold in 2026.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Sillie posted a second video, the cellphone panning to the ruins against a blue-sky backdrop.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
Investors are panning upbeat results from Western Digital and Sandisk after massive one-year stock rallies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
People have been panning Tottenham boss Igor Tudor but they will look upon him in a different light if his side win this game.
From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2026
When I was panning the crowd, I searched for his face.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
