fan

1 of 3

noun (1)

1
: any of various devices for winnowing grain
2
: an instrument for producing a current of air: such as
a
: a device that is held in the hand and moved back and forth to cool a person and that is usually shaped like a segment of a circle and composed of material (such as feathers or paper) mounted on thin rods or slats moving about a pivot so that the device may be closed compactly when not in use
b
: a device that consists of a series of vanes radiating from a hub rotated on its axle by a motor
a ceiling fan to stir the air
c
slang : an airplane propeller
3
a
: something resembling an open fan (such as the leaf of certain palms)
b
: a gently sloping fan-shaped body of detritus
especially : alluvial fan
fanlike adjective

fan

2 of 3

verb

fanned; fanning

transitive verb

1
a
: to drive away the chaff of (grain) by means of a current of air
b
: to eliminate (chaff) by winnowing
2
: to move or impel (air) with a fan
3
: to blow or breathe upon
the breeze fanning her hair
4
a
: to direct a current of air upon with a fan
b
: to stir up to activity as if by fanning : stimulate
fanning the fires of nationalism
5
archaic : wave
6
slang : spank
7
: to spread like a fan
the peacock fanned his tail
8
: to strike (a batter) out in baseball
9
: to fire a series of shots from (a single-action revolver) by holding the trigger back and successively striking the hammer to the rear with the free hand

intransitive verb

1
: to move like a fan : flutter
2
: to spread like a fan
often used with out
the searchers fanned out
3
fanner noun

fan

3 of 3

noun (2)

1
: an enthusiastic devotee (as of a sport or a performing art) usually as a spectator
2
: an ardent admirer or enthusiast (as of a celebrity or a pursuit)
science-fiction fans

Did you know?

The Fanatical Origin of Fan

There are a good number of etymological myths in the English language, stories about the origins of words (such as the widespread notion that posh originated as an acronym for “port out, starboard home”) which are, to put it kindly, inaccurate. But this does not mean that every vivid account of linguistic origin is fictitious. Many words, such as fan, do have colorful backstories.

Fan is generally–and very likely correctly–believed to be a shortened form of fanatic. The origin of fanatic (which can be traced back to the Latin word fanum, meaning “sanctuary, temple”) is less often commented on. In English, fan made an early appearance in the late 17th century only to disappear for two centuries, resurfacing in the late 19th century. In this later period of use, it often referred to the devoted observers of, or participants in, a sport. An 1885 article from The Kansas City Times, for example, contains the line “The base ball ‘fans’ of the ploice [sic] force and fire department engage in a ball game.”

Examples of fan in a Sentence

Verb He fanned himself with a newspaper while he waited for the bus. The pitcher has fanned six batters in the first three innings. The batter fanned on a curveball.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
And like Kennedy, Rodgers isn't a fan of Democratic President Joe Biden. Journal Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2024 The community lured Garcia’s girlfriend, Felicia Fitzpatrick, 32, as a new but enthusiastic WNBA fan. Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2024 Madonna has been accused of ableism after ‘politically incorrect’ flub about a fan in wheelchair. Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024 Madonna didn't mean to offend a wheelchair-using fan at her recent Los Angeles concert. Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 In fact, Swift live-debuted the song at an Eras Tour stop in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in November, seemingly in tribute to a fan who had died two days prior after attending her concert. Katie Atkinson, Billboard, 11 Mar. 2024 Photo Credit: Christian Lanza Presence – Southern California recording artist Presence, also known as Jonathon Martinez, started his music journey long ago, a hip-hop fan on the cusp of his teen years. Spin Contributor, SPIN, 11 Mar. 2024 The audience filed in: a few dozen of the candidates’ personal guests, plus a handful of diehard fans of multiparty democracy. Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 Calmer winds helped firefighters’ efforts on Wednesday, but forecasts show poor weather conditions could ramp up Friday and fan the flames again over the weekend. Video Ad Feedback See what the second-largest fire in the history of Texas looks like 00:51 - Source: CNN 3. Alexandra Banner, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024
Verb
The record’s remixes featuring Bryson Tiller and Lil Yachty also helped its growth, with both stars fanning over the song before its explosion. Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 6 Mar. 2024 Bass make their beds by fanning their tales back and forth to clean debris off the bottom. Shaye Baker, Field & Stream, 6 Mar. 2024 Neither did other officials who may have fanned the flames before the fact but took no active role in the rioting on January 6. The Editors, National Review, 5 Mar. 2024 Otherwise, there is a risk of fanning the flames of xenophobia and neglecting opportunities for partnership that would benefit the United States. Dan Murphy, The Conversation, 1 Mar. 2024 The police department concluded the flames were caused by severe weather, and the winds that fanned the fires created a domino effect of chaos for police. USA TODAY, 6 Feb. 2024 Wildfires in Hawaii fanned by strong winds burned multiple structures in areas including historic Lahaina town, forcing evacuations and closing schools in several communities Wednesday, and rescuers pulled a dozen people escaping smoke and flames from the ocean. USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024 Rookie right-hander Jeremiah Estrada matched Matsui’s perfect 3-K inning and journeyman lefty Austin Davis fanned three minor-leaguers around a double. Chuck Murr, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 And they’re fanned by outrageous utility bills, such as the case of a south Modesto family that got a $23,000 collection order from the Turlock Irrigation District for unpaid electricity use after a pot-growing and power-stealing renter was raided by authorities. Peter Hecht, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fan.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1) and Verb

Middle English, from Old English fann, from Latin vannus — more at winnow

Noun (2)

probably short for fanatic

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun (2)

1682, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fan was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near fan

Cite this Entry

“Fan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fan. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fan

1 of 3 noun
1
: an instrument for producing a current of air: as
a
: a device that is often in the shape of a section of a circle and is waved back and forth by hand
b
: a device with a set of rotating blades driven by a motor
2
: something shaped like a hand fan
fanlike adjective

fan

2 of 3 verb
fanned; fanning
1
: to move air with a fan
2
a
: to direct a current of air upon with a fan
b
: to stir up to activity as if by fanning
3
: to spread out or move like a fan
4
: to strike out in baseball
fanner noun

fan

3 of 3 noun
: an enthusiastic follower or admirer
Etymology

Noun

Old English fann "fan," from Latin vannus "fan"

Noun

probably a shortened form of fanatic

More from Merriam-Webster on fan

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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