1
as in to stretch (out)
to arrange the parts of (something) over a wider area
the accordionist smoothly fanned out the bellows of his instrument as he played
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to radiate
to extend outwards from or as if from a central point
most of the city's subway lines fan out from this central station
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fan (out)
Verb
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For more than four years, Lynn Milam's life was bound by the pain that radiated from her swollen joints.—
Jon Hamilton,
NPR,
22 Sep. 2025 -
What had seemed an impossible task transformed into a practical matter of six little arrows, radiating around a central concept.—
Zadie Smith,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The closure of the crossing has stranded Palestinians abroad, while patients receiving medical treatment in Jordan were forced to extend their stays on limited budgets.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
24 Sep. 2025
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My secret tip is to extend your face wash to your scalp instead!—
Essence,
Essence,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And the Guinness family made a mark well outside the brewery, with subsequent generations branching into politics, banking, land development, and more.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Sep. 2025
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By starting with communication control, the company can branch into deal analytics, proactive introductions, and relationship risk scoring, all extensions of the same contextual AI engine.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Xi promised that within a decade, China will expand wind and solar power capacity to more than six times its 2020 level.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Sep. 2025
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The bags contain lightweight material that absorb water and expands and can be stacked just like regular bags, as can the barriers which come in a variety of lengths.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Indeed, the answer to the question Alan Sparks raised about what happens to all of the money flowing through the county government is one that even local authorities are unable, or unwilling, to answer.—
Mitch Moxley,
Rolling Stone,
27 Sep. 2025
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Here, the local world flows straight into your own private escape, creating an unrivaled, unforgettable vacation experience.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Starting Thursday, Alaska plans to begin distributing to residents their annual dividend derived from the state’s $83 billion oil wealth fund, a sort of bonus that Alaskans get for living in the state.—
Becky Bohrer,
Fortune,
28 Sep. 2025
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Is derived from milk, meaning people with milk allergies can’t take whey protein.—
Merve Ceylan,
Health,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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One point is needed to open each door between rooms, and some rooms have multi-point penalties just for entering.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
26 Sep. 2025
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This is a woman who can’t open the refrigerator without having a panic attack.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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There’s a certain irony that Kenvue has struggled to stem investor worries, given Tylenol’s handling of a poisoning crisis in the 1980s is still held up as the gold standard for corporate crisis communications.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
23 Sep. 2025
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Clematis climbs by wrapping its short leaf stems around support structures and may initially require a string or wire to climb.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
22 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Fan (out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fan%20%28out%29. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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