1
a
: a usually broad, shallow, and open container for domestic use (as for cooking)
b
: any of various similar usually metal receptacles: such as
(1)
: the hollow part of the lock in a firelock or flintlock gun that receives the priming
(2)
: either of the receptacles in a pair of scales
(3)
: a round shallow usually metal container for separating metal (such as gold) from waste by washing
c
d
2
a(1)
: a natural basin or depression in land
(2)
: a similar artificial basin (as for evaporating brine)
b
: a drifting fragment of the flat thin ice that forms in bays or along the shore
3
4
slang
: face
5
: a harsh criticism
panned; panning
1
a
: to wash in a pan for the purpose of separating heavy particles
b
: to separate (a substance, such as gold) by panning
c
: to place in a pan
2
: to criticize severely
the show was panned
1
: to wash material (such as earth or gravel) in a pan in search of metal (such as gold)
2
: to yield precious metal in the process of panning
—usually used with out
1
: the process of panning a motion-picture or video camera
2
: a shot in which the camera is panned
panned; panning
: to rotate (a camera, such as a motion-picture camera) so as to keep an object in the picture or secure a panoramic effect
: a Greek god of pastures, flocks, and shepherds usually represented as having the legs, horns, and ears of a goat
Pan is often depicted playing a panpipe.
Panama
peroxyacetyl nitrate
1
: all : completely
panchromatic
2
a
: involving all of a (specified) group or region
Pan-American
b
: advocating or involving the union of a (specified) group
Pan-Slavism
3
: whole : general
panleukopenia
Synonyms
Examples of pan in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 6 Apr. 2024
Eleven months after giving birth, Evelyn poured buttermilk pancake mix onto a hot pan, a late breakfast for herself and her new roommate before class.
—Amber Ferguson, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
There’s no need to thaw—just take a cube or two, depending on the size of the dish, and add it to a pan of hot oil.
—Carlos Matias, Bon Appétit, 6 Apr. 2024
The March 25 TikTok that’s garnered more than 7.8 million views as of April 5 shows Clever and her roommate burying Cheeto’s third baby before the camera pans over and shows Cheeto staring out the screen door.
—Paloma Chavez, Kansas City Star, 5 Apr. 2024
Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 4 Apr. 2024
The images are fed into an algorithm that can tell the difference between a half pan of lasagna (valuable) and a banana peel (not so much).
—Somini Sengupta, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Remove the pan from the oven and preheat the broiler.
—Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 26 Mar. 2024
Nearby Reyes washed pots and pans with the same bucket of water.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
Jessica Furniss, Southern Living, 30 Mar. 2024
The video begins with Willow singing on stage next to Pink, then panning to show her son Jameson, 7, sitting backstage with his head fully tilted back with a water bottle stuck in his mouth.
—Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024
The camera quickly panned to Culkin, who reacted with a deadpan expression before finally laughing along with the audience.
—Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2024
When talking about her fiancé, the camera panned to her co-star Powell, rather than Jonathon Davino.
—Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2024
The show, which moves backward in time over the course of 20 years to chart the way three friends’ bonds are forged and frayed, was panned by critics.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 20 Mar. 2024
The Brooks-Moon news was panned on social media and talk radio Monday, and even after news leaked that the Giants had agreed to terms with reigning N.L. Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, her departure still had fans buzzing.
—Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024
Cameras panned the room and caught Travis wiping away tears under his sunglasses, along with their parents, Donna and Ed Kelce, dabbing tissues at their faces.
—Kristina Behr, Parents, 6 Mar. 2024
The film has underperformed at the box office and been panned by critics, while being thoroughly meme-ified.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 5 Mar. 2024
Noun
In the meantime, melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in a heat-proof bowl placed over a small pan of boiling water.
—Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 6 Apr. 2024
Eleven months after giving birth, Evelyn poured buttermilk pancake mix onto a hot pan, a late breakfast for herself and her new roommate before class.
—Amber Ferguson, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
There’s no need to thaw—just take a cube or two, depending on the size of the dish, and add it to a pan of hot oil.
—Carlos Matias, Bon Appétit, 6 Apr. 2024
The March 25 TikTok that’s garnered more than 7.8 million views as of April 5 shows Clever and her roommate burying Cheeto’s third baby before the camera pans over and shows Cheeto staring out the screen door.
—Paloma Chavez, Kansas City Star, 5 Apr. 2024
Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 4 Apr. 2024
The images are fed into an algorithm that can tell the difference between a half pan of lasagna (valuable) and a banana peel (not so much).
—Somini Sengupta, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Remove the pan from the oven and preheat the broiler.
—Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 26 Mar. 2024
Nearby Reyes washed pots and pans with the same bucket of water.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
Verb
Add batter to pan, and bake: Spread batter evenly in an ungreased 9x13-inch glass baking dish.
—Jessica Furniss, Southern Living, 30 Mar. 2024
The video begins with Willow singing on stage next to Pink, then panning to show her son Jameson, 7, sitting backstage with his head fully tilted back with a water bottle stuck in his mouth.
—Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024
The camera quickly panned to Culkin, who reacted with a deadpan expression before finally laughing along with the audience.
—Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2024
When talking about her fiancé, the camera panned to her co-star Powell, rather than Jonathon Davino.
—Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2024
The show, which moves backward in time over the course of 20 years to chart the way three friends’ bonds are forged and frayed, was panned by critics.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 20 Mar. 2024
The Brooks-Moon news was panned on social media and talk radio Monday, and even after news leaked that the Giants had agreed to terms with reigning N.L. Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, her departure still had fans buzzing.
—Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024
Cameras panned the room and caught Travis wiping away tears under his sunglasses, along with their parents, Donna and Ed Kelce, dabbing tissues at their faces.
—Kristina Behr, Parents, 6 Mar. 2024
The film has underperformed at the box office and been panned by critics, while being thoroughly meme-ified.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 5 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pan.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pan
Cite this Entry
“Pan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pan. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pan
1 of 3 noun1
a
: a usually broad, shallow, and open container for cooking
b
: something resembling a pan
2
: a basin or depression in the earth
a salt pan
pan
2 of 3 verb
panned; panning
1
: to wash earthy material in a pan to concentrate bits of metal
pan for gold
2
: to yield precious metal in panning
3
: to criticize severely
pan
3 of 3 verb
panned; panning
: to move a motion-picture or television camera so as to keep a moving object in view or to scan a scene
Etymology
Noun
Old English panne "pan for cooking," derived from Latin patina (same meaning)
Verb
from earlier pan "the process of panning," short for panorama
Medical Definition
Pan
1 of 2 noun
: a genus of anthropoid apes containing the chimpanzee
PAN
2 of 2 abbreviation
peroxyacetyl nitrate
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share