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.
-
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.
-
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!"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Analysis of Baseball" and "Singing and Stretching"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Comic Book Day
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
They asked me to do some music for them and I obliged because I was a fan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
But after researching her career, he became a fan - not just of her music, but of the fact she'd hired an all-female band, and negotiated control of her master recordings.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
I’ve also become a fan of using prepared specialty cheese spreads to make indulgent broccoli.
From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026
A remake of 1990s action-adventure classic "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time", which comes out Thursday, has sparked nostalgic fan excitement.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
Maybe Mr. Mack was such a big baseball fan that he wanted the mitt for himself!
From "The Missing Mitt (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #2)" by Franklin W. Dixon
Fan David Tejera said De Miguel's "effort" and "passion" for Tenerife would endure.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 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
The Fever said in a statement that arena security spoke with the man and witnesses and “determined there was no violation of the Fan Code of Conduct.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
It described the incident, near Llyn y Fan Fawr in the west of the park, as "one of the worst" it had seen, following on from long-running wildfires in the area.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
Dad dodged the Dancing Fan and sat beside me on the edge of the bed, generating a gravity well to try and pull me out.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
Fans across the globe flocked to midnight release parties for “A Court of Splintered Harmony,” with over 900 fans alone in New York City flocking to Barnes and Noble on Oct.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
Fans of Sir Patrick Stewart gathered at his Hollywood Walk of Fame Star in Los Angeles to pay tribute to his life and acting career.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
Fans may react badly should a remaster or remake fail to do justice to the source material.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
Fans have welcomed the sport back into their busy lives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
Fans thronged into the Uptown Theater in Pasadena to see The Life of Seabiscuit, a compilation of the horse’s newsreel footage.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
But he’s also trying to walk a line, to assure longtime fans of the space, as well downtown residents, that Clifton’s will still primarily cater to them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
While some hardcore Tesla fans once predicted it could eclipse even Ford’s top-selling F-150 truck, the Cybertruck never hit critical mass.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Ferguson had led the Scottish club to a period of success some fans thought would never end.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
Fans across the globe flocked to midnight release parties for “A Court of Splintered Harmony,” with over 900 fans alone in New York City flocking to Barnes and Noble on Oct.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
I was still arguing with her when the taxi pulled up at the curb, long slants of rain illumined in the headlights and the tires throwing up low fans of water.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
The blaze, which sparked around 11:30 am Friday, damaged or destroyed at least 7 structures and forced about 16,000 people to evacuate as 40 mph gusts fanned the flames.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026
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
The spike in oil prices fanned inflation fears again and put fresh upward pressure on government bond yields to multi-year highs.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
In the early 2000s, when citrus-canker lesions dotted Florida oranges, state contractors fanned out with woodchippers to destroy trees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
Although water still fanned out from his wheels, somehow the fun had gone out of riding for that night.
From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary
The disciplinarian camp says ‘treat-slinging wieners’ have lost their dogs’ respect, fanning the flames of an increasingly vicious fight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
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
Oil prices extended hefty gains Tuesday as hopes for a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz fade, fanning fresh inflation fears and ramping up bets on at least one US interest rate hike this year.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 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
She kept putting her right hand in the air and waving it in front of her face like she was fanning away a stinky burp.
From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
