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fanfic

American  
[fan-fik] / ˈfænˌfɪk /

noun

Informal.
  1. fiction written by fans of a TV series, movie, etc., using existing characters and situations to develop new plots.

  2. a work of fiction in this genre.


fanfic British  
/ ˈfænˌfɪk /

noun

  1. fiction written around previously established characters invented by other authors

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of fanfic

First recorded in 1975–80; shortening of fan fiction ( def. )

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.

Alas, imagining is all we can do now, since all further adventures for Carrie and company will take place in our heads and fanfic forums.

From Salon • Aug. 15, 2025

Like Lara Jean Song Covey, the teen heroine of her 2014 novel “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” she liked baking and books and penning fanfic of herself and her friends.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 6, 2023

“He seemed to be asking ‘why’ of my existence,” the narrator thinks when Moon reads aloud the first letter in the elaborate fanfic she’s written for him.

From New York Times • Mar. 14, 2023

The panel description asked whether fanfic should be “accepted as a legitimate creative activity” at all.

From The Verge • Aug. 15, 2022

I pull up some random fanfic on my phone, and then I take it down the hall.

From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli

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