Showing results for "fan"

• a variation of Fang.

Jump To:

• fan
  fan

  noun

  any device for producing a current of air by the movement of a broad surface or a number of such surfaces.
• Fan
  Fan

  noun

  Fang.

fan

¹ American  

[fan] / fæn /

noun

1. any device for producing a current of air by the movement of a broad surface or a number of such surfaces.

2. 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.

3. anything resembling such an implement, as the tail of a bird.

4. 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.

5. a series of revolving blades supplying air for winnowing or cleaning grain.

6. Horology. fly.

7. a semicircular decoration of bunting.

8. Physical Geography. an alluvial fan.

---

verb (used with object)

• fans,
  present (3rd person singular)
• fanned,
  past participle,  past
• fanning
  present participle

1. to move or agitate (the air) with or as if with a fan.

2. 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.

3. to stir to activity with or as if with a fan.

   to fan a flame; to fan emotions.

4. (of a breeze, current of air, etc.) to blow upon, as if driven by a fan.

   A cool breeze fanned the shore.

5. to spread out like a fan.

   The dealer fanned the cards.

6. Informal. to move (oneself ) quickly.

   You'll fan your tail out of here if you know what's good for you.

7. Agriculture. to winnow, especially by an artificial current of air.

8. Baseball. (of a pitcher) to strike out (a batter).

9. 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

1. to strike, swing, or brush lightly at something.

2. 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.

3. to spread out like a fan (often followed byout ).

   The forest fire fanned out in all directions.

4. Baseball. (of a batter) to strike out, usually by swinging at and missing the pitch charged as the third strike.

idioms

1. hit the fan, to become suddenly more awkward, embarrassing, or troublesome.

   When news of the incident was leaked to the press, everything hit the fan at once.

fan ² American  

[fan] / fæn /

noun

1. an enthusiastic devotee, follower, or admirer of a sport, pastime, celebrity, etc..

   a baseball fan; a great fan of Charlie Chaplin.

   Synonyms:

   addict, booster, partisan, enthusiast, supporter

---

Fan ³ American  

[fan, fahn] / fæn, fɑn /

noun

• Fans,
  plural
• Fan
  plural

1. Fang.

---

fan ¹ British  

/ fæn /

noun

1. 1. 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

   2. a machine that rotates such a device

2. any of various hand-agitated devices for cooling onself, esp a collapsible semicircular series of flat segments of paper, ivory, etc

3. something shaped like such a fan, such as the tail of certain birds

4. agriculture

   1. a kind of basket formerly used for winnowing grain

   2. a machine equipped with a fan for winnowing or cleaning grain

---

verb

1. to cause a current of air, esp cool air, to blow upon, as by means of a fan

   to fan one's face

2. to agitate or move (air, smoke, etc) with or as if with a fan

3. to make fiercer, more ardent, etc

   fan one's passion

4. to spread out or cause to spread out in the shape of a fan

5. 1. to fire (an automatic gun) continuously by keeping the trigger depressed

   2. to fire (a nonautomatic gun) several times by repeatedly chopping back the hammer with the palm

6. to winnow (grain) by blowing the chaff away from it

fan ² British  

/ fæn /

noun

1. an ardent admirer of a pop star, film actor, football team, etc

2. a devotee of a sport, hobby, etc

---

fan More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing fan

• shit will hit the fan

---

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

• fanner
  noun
• fanlike
  adjective
• unfanned
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Fan
  plural
• Fans
  plural

Participles

• fanning
  present
• fanned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• fan
  simple
• fans
  simple
• have fanned
  perfect
• has fanned
  perfect
• am fanning
  progressive
• are fanning
  progressive
• is fanning
  progressive
• have been fanning
  perfect progressive
• has been fanning
  perfect progressive

Past

• fanned
  simple
• had fanned
  perfect
• was fanning
  progressive
• were fanning
  progressive
• had been fanning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will fan
  simple
• will have fanned
  perfect
• will be fanning
  progressive
• will have been fanning
  perfect progressive

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fan Fan Fans fans fanned fanning

"As finance minister I will not present a tax under which sugar-free drinks are taxed," Klingbeil, reportedly a big Coke Zero fan, told reporters after a cabinet meeting in Neuhardenberg, outside Berlin.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

The company said it had 2.5 million active creators, selling content to 132 million active so-called fan accounts or users in its latest financial year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

You could easily be a card-carrying Whigs fan without ever listening to this.

From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026

For fan James, the anonymity element is "amazing".

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

The airboat’s fan spins to life, and we propel forward, gliding along the murky waters.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

A longtime Hengli employee told a state-owned newspaper that Fan, who handled the finances, was so busy that she sometimes skipped meals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

His wife, Fan Hongwei, who chairs the petrochemical and refining business, has a net worth of over $5 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Emergency services were called to Pen y Fan in the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, also know as the Brecon Beacons, on Saturday at 11:00 BST.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

But what really made Platner appealing to Moraff and Fan didn’t have anything to do with the kind of person he was or what was, or wasn’t, on his résumé.

From Slate ● Jul. 8, 2026

The Dancing Fan chose that moment to fall over.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram

Fans gathered to mourn Dolly Parton in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening, laying flowers at her Hollywood Walk of Fame star.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

Fans benefit from a Walter partnership on a daily basis.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

Fans of the "GTA" series, which dates back to 1997 when the first 2D game was released, have been waiting 13 years for a new installment since 2013's "GTA V."

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

Fans of Gordon Ramsay shows and The Bear might be especially interested in this one.

From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026

Fans were fighting to get close to him, to shake his hand.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Unlike most of Schoenbrun’s diehard fans seem to think, a difference of opinion about art doesn’t negate either person’s feelings.

From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026

In announcing her death on Tuesday, Parton's team asked fans to donate to the Imagination Library, instead of sending flowers, so that her legacy can continue for many years to come.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

Early in her career, Dean would sometimes worry that a lyric might be too personal, only to find that those were the lines that fans would mention when they approached her.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Also in the works is the third “Alien” prequel, which fans have been anticipating since “Alien: Covenant” was released in 2017.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

“We know there are lots of enthusiastic Morpho fans here. But stealing is wrong.”

From "A Monster of a Mystery (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #5)" by Franklin W. Dixon

Investigators fanned out to local Walmart stores, scouring surveillance video and receipts but found no suspects.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

Strong winds fanned the flames, causing them to spread "faster than a galloping horse", according to regional prefect Simon Babre.

From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026

Yet, fires fanned by increasingly extreme weather have stress-tested these measures more than ever before.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026

Thousands of people have been evacuated on the Greek island of Crete as wildfires fanned by strong winds menace tourist resorts and villages.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

Amelia is flat on her back, her eyes unfocused, long blonde hair fanned around her head.

From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day

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

Despite firefighting efforts, strong winds are fanning flames and hampering containment operations - with local media reporting that firefighting aircraft have been unable to fly on Thursday morning.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

Social insects including bees rely on cooling behavior for example fanning their wings when things get too hot to buffer the hive but there are limits as to how effective this is in extreme heat.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026

Both main contracts soared around eight percent, with Brent topping $80 a barrel for the first time in two weeks, fanning fresh fears of a spike in inflation and a hit to the economy.

From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026

For several minutes I did nothing as the water flowed into the hall, fanning over the oak floorboards, running toward the bedrooms and down the stairs.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Related Words

• admirer
• buff
• devotee
• follower
• lover
• supporter