fan
noun
any device for producing a current of air by the movement of a broad surface or a number of such surfaces.
fan
1 American
[fan]
/ fæn /
noun
-
any device for producing a current of air by the movement of a broad surface or a number of such surfaces.
-
an implement of feathers, leaves, paper, cloth, etc., often in the shape of a long triangle or of a semicircle, for waving lightly in the hand to create a cooling current of air about a person.
We sat on the veranda, cooling ourselves with palm-leaf fans.
-
anything resembling such an implement, as the tail of a bird.
-
any of various devices consisting essentially of a series of radiating vanes or blades attached to and revolving with a central hublike portion to produce a current of air.
ceiling fan; wall fan.
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a series of revolving blades supplying air for winnowing or cleaning grain.
-
Horology. fly.
-
a semicircular decoration of bunting.
-
Physical Geography. an alluvial fan.
verb (used with object)
-
fans,
present (3rd person singular)
-
fanned,
past participle, past
-
fanning
present participle
-
to move or agitate (the air) with or as if with a fan.
-
to cause air to blow upon, as from a fan; cool or refresh with or as if with a fan.
He fanned his face with a newspaper.
-
to stir to activity with or as if with a fan.
to fan a flame; to fan emotions.
-
(of a breeze, current of air, etc.) to blow upon, as if driven by a fan.
A cool breeze fanned the shore.
-
to spread out like a fan.
The dealer fanned the cards.
-
Informal. to move (oneself ) quickly.
You'll fan your tail out of here if you know what's good for you.
-
Agriculture. to winnow, especially by an artificial current of air.
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Baseball. (of a pitcher) to strike out (a batter).
-
Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S. to punish by spanking; spank.
Your mother will fan you good if you break that dish.
verb (used without object)
-
fans,
present (3rd person singular)
-
fanned,
past participle, past
-
fanning
present participle
-
to strike, swing, or brush lightly at something.
-
Western U.S. (chiefly cowboy use). to slap the flanks of (a horse or other animal) repeatedly with a hat to get it to move or move faster.
-
to spread out like a fan (often followed byout ).
The forest fire fanned out in all directions.
-
Baseball. (of a batter) to strike out, usually by swinging at and missing the pitch charged as the third strike.
idioms
fan
2
American
[fan]
/ fæn /
noun
Fan
3
American
[fan, fahn]
/ fæn, fɑn /
noun
-
Fans,
plural
-
Fan
plural
fan
1
British
/ fæn /
noun
-
-
any device for creating a current of air by movement of a surface or number of surfaces, esp a rotating device consisting of a number of blades attached to a central hub
-
a machine that rotates such a device
-
-
any of various hand-agitated devices for cooling onself, esp a collapsible semicircular series of flat segments of paper, ivory, etc
-
something shaped like such a fan, such as the tail of certain birds
-
agriculture
-
a kind of basket formerly used for winnowing grain
-
a machine equipped with a fan for winnowing or cleaning grain
-
verb
-
to cause a current of air, esp cool air, to blow upon, as by means of a fan
to fan one's face
-
to agitate or move (air, smoke, etc) with or as if with a fan
-
to make fiercer, more ardent, etc
fan one's passion
-
to spread out or cause to spread out in the shape of a fan
-
-
to fire (an automatic gun) continuously by keeping the trigger depressed
-
to fire (a nonautomatic gun) several times by repeatedly chopping back the hammer with the palm
-
-
to winnow (grain) by blowing the chaff away from it
fan
2
British
/ fæn /
noun
-
an ardent admirer of a pop star, film actor, football team, etc
-
a devotee of a sport, hobby, etc
fan
More Idioms
Usage
Where does fan come from? Is the word fan, as in a device with rotating blades, related in any way to a fan, as in an enthusiastic devotee? Whether in cooling a room or cheering for a team, both fans do move a lot of air, as it were. But no, these senses of fan come from very different—though equally fantastic—roots. Fan, the deviceLet’s start with fan in the sense of “any device for producing a current of air.” This fan is very old, recorded in English before 900. It comes from the Old English, fann, directly from the Latin vannus, a “winnowing basket.”Winnowing basket? This calls for a lesson in agricultural history. A winnowing basket is a type of broad, shallow basket used to winnow, that is, to free grain from lighter particles of chaff, dirt, and the like. This can be done, as shown in the video below, by tossing the grain, allowing the wind or a forced current of air to blow away the chaff and any impurities. A winnowing basket is what fan originally meant in English. The word fan expanded to refer to other kinds of devices used to blow away chaff. By association with the movement of air involved in winnowing, fan further expanded to name various devices for generating currents of air, especially for cooling and ventilation. Fan, the devotee Now, onto to that other fan, the kind that fills arenas for sporting and music events. This fan is “an enthusiastic devotee, follower, or admirer of a sport, pastime, celebrity, or similar.” It was shortened from fanatic, “a person with an extreme and uncritical enthusiasm or zeal, as in religion or politics.”A fan is passionate, yes, but compared to a fanatic, the connotation of the word fan is generally much less extreme and uncritical. Fan was first recorded in American English around 1885–90. Early uses of fan refer to baseball die-hards before spreading to all sorts of other ardent followers. Dig deeperThe word fanatic has an interesting origin of its own. Entering English around 1515–25, fanatic derives from the Latin fānāticus, “pertaining to a temple.” Fānāticus came to refer to people seen as “frantic” and “enthusiastic”—people thought to be inspired by a divinity or orgiastic rites. Fānāticus is based on the noun fānum, “temple, sanctuary.” Discover more at profane.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
fansimple
-
fanssimple
-
have fannedperfect
-
has fannedperfect
-
am fanningprogressive
-
are fanningprogressive
-
is fanningprogressive
-
have been fanningperfect progressive
-
has been fanningperfect progressive
Past
-
fannedsimple
-
had fannedperfect
-
was fanningprogressive
-
were fanningprogressive
-
had been fanningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fan1
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English fann, from Latin vannus “winnowing basket”
Origin of fan2
An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; short for fanatic
Explanation
A fan cools you by moving the air around you. During the warmest weeks of the summer, it's easier to sleep if you have a fan in your bedroom. Some fans are electric: you plug them in and a large blade turns fast and blows air around the room. Hand fans are small enough to hold, and as you wave them back and forth, they send puffs of air over your hot face. To do this is to fan yourself. A completely different fan is the one who follows a sports team or a rock band devotedly: "The fans jumped to their feet and cheered."
Vocabulary lists containing fan
"Play Ball!"
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"Analysis of Baseball" and "Singing and Stretching"
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Comic Book Day
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"I'm a fan of Antonio's voice, and I have been a fan for a long time," he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
"If the fire is big and you fan it, it really gets bigger."
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
One of the things that you said in other interviews, and I think you actually said this in the documentary as well, is that you used to be a fan of Elon Musk’s products.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
If you’re already a fan of China Miéville, you will love this book.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
“I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to have another Firestride fan around here. My dad doesn’t understand why I love these books so much. The author is so talented.”
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
It was unclear how Liao Fan managed to evade the blockade, but it is possible it unloaded Iranian-linked goods.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
“One of the things I liked about ‘Noir,’ ‘Spider-Noir,’ was it wasn’t cutting to the fight,” Cage said during his Fan Expo appearance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
The blockbuster franchise has moved away from its emphasis on storytelling to prioritize big fights and action sequences, the “Spider-Noir” actor lamented during a recent appearance at Fan Expo Dallas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
"Fan engagement and coordinated chants have deep roots in Korean music history," explains Um.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
The girls took the Jim and Barry Fan Club off the suspect list.
From "Scream for Ice Cream: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #2" by Carolyn Keene
Fans of “The Good Wife” or “The Good Fight” are familiar with how the Kings turned emerging tech issues — particularly ones involving Google, Amazon or Facebook — into narrative catalysts for cases.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Fans are trying to make sense of Apple Music’s new black-and-white icon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Fans of the subgenre, known and loved for its depiction of journalism’s slow yet effective behind-the-scenes processes, might see this as a fatal flaw.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
Fans reacted with anger when some of the ticket price rises for major events next year were announced earlier this summer.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Fans of ferns could choose from among dozens of best-selling titles, including Frondson’s Pteridomania for the Beginner, with a Preface on Spores by Dr. Ward.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
But Cregger's attempt at Resident Evil, which impressed both critics and fans, seemed to break the curse.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
To judge from the lines of young, very devoted fans snaking around the cemetery, Geese has already built the requisite subculture to thrive longer-term.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Some flight attendants say they aren’t fans of the bags, which can be prone to leaks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The next contender is Street Fighter, the arcade classic fighting game that's been separating fans from their loose change since 1987.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
As the referee handed me the ball, Finkle waved to the fans sitting behind the basket.
From "The Million Dollar Shot" by Dan Gutman
The fires are being fanned by the Santa Ana winds, which normally begin during cooler months from late September to May.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Tuesday’s scene was a mixture of confusion and chaos, with first responders fanned out across two catastrophes and television news teams desperately trying to find out whether their journalists were safe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
Asian stocks fell Thursday as oil prices extended gains a day after breaking the psychological $100 barrier on the back of resurgent Middle East hostilities that have fanned inflation fears.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
To sell his plan, Blume fanned out last week to Volkswagen locations on a tour more akin to a political campaign than a corporate roadshow.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Her white hair floated, cloudlike, atop her head, and a delicate pattern of creases fanned across her face like arching fronds, especially when she smiled.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
And more worryingly, retail diesel prices remain at a record high around $5.90 a gallon, fanning concerns about inflation as global financial markets are under strain from a bond selloff and U.S. dollar weakness.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
The images they captured from different viewing angles brought out different features, including brighter and darker streaks fanning out around the crater.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
On an overcast Wednesday morning in Salt Lake City this summer, four bicyclists gathered in an industrial area not far from the city’s airport before fanning out across town.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
The decline came as the profit fell short of some bullish investor expectations, fanning fears about the durability of the AI boom.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Sassur tried in vain to protect Hari from the crowds, while Sass bent over, fanning him with a palm leaf.
From "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
