fan out

phrasal verb

fanned out; fanning out; fans out

: to spread apart or to cause (something) to spread apart

The police fanned out across the park in search of the suspect.

He fanned out his fingers.

Examples of fan out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Public Safety cops fanned out and frantically asked witnesses to describe the shooter, and got a half-wrong, half-right answer — the killer was a man with blue pants, who fled in a white Mercedes. —John Annese, New York Daily News, 24 Mar. 2025

Trump administration officials fanned out across the media talk shows on Sunday to defend tariffs imposed by the president on just about every country on Earth. —Ian Swanson, The Hill, 6 Apr. 2025

After more than 30 years, Wimberley Glassworks still flourishes and its gallery is bursting with color—plates in kaleidoscopic shades, delicate pieces glowing brightly on tables, sculptures fanning out in rainbows over the walls, as if outraged by the white paint. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 29 Mar. 2025

There are some out fans out there talking that jibber-jabber. —Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 19 Mar. 2025

Rhymes for fan out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout