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
-
The self-reflective tone marks a thematic shift for a band whose debut radiated a cool irony, pulling emotional punches in favor of observations centered around mid-20s delusion.—
Sophie Williams,
Billboard,
10 Oct. 2025 -
Once formed, these waves can travel across entire ocean basins, radiating outward from the point of disturbance and impacting coastlines far from the origin.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The urgency to extend Kempe is magnified by the reality of losing the great Anze Kopitar after this season.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
The most popular route covers 13 miles one-way to the Paria River, though ambitious hikers can extend the journey to 21 miles by continuing downstream through Paria Canyon.—
Jacqueline Kehoe,
AFAR Media,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Soft corals include species like the purple sea fan or branching corals without an outer skeleton.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
16 Oct. 2025
-
As cord-cutting began shrinking the pay bundle a decade later, the company branched into FAST channels and streaming.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
By platforming industry experts and passionate entrepreneurs, Ducard is helping Pinterest expand into new arenas.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Following its successful launch earlier this year, Virtuosa — the vintage-nodding, heirloom-like collection which introduced the precious and durable platinum among Atelier VM’s metals — is expanded to earrings and a couple of necklaces including a light point.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Fiercely and humanely protect whatever gives you the most joy and grounding as it is needed to provide the core energy and wellspring from which everything else flows.—
Kat McGowan,
NPR,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Brandy and Monica were on their feet for almost every song, grooving alongside a captivating ensemble of dancers who flowed through hip hop and contemporary dance styles.—
Tamia Fowlkes,
jsonline.com,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Just like the blueberry milk, milky rose, and matcha latte nails that came before it, the name is derived from the shade used to achieve the look.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Because they are derived from patient-specific stem cells, researchers can create personalized versions that reflect an individual’s genetic makeup.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Although Brandon Aiyuk became eligible in Week 5 to come off the Physically Unable To Perform list, the 49ers have yet to open his practice window.—
Cam Inman,
Mercury News,
17 Oct. 2025
-
The emergency center had originally opened in the Port-au-Prince neighborhood of Martissant in 2006, but was forced to move to Turgeau in 2021 for security reasons.—
NPR,
NPR,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The greatest dangers stem not from the shaking itself but from secondary effects such as building collapses, landslides, and tsunamis.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Those struggles seemed to stem at least in part from Rielly’s attempts to adjust to Berube, then the Leafs’ new head coach, and his systems.—
Jonas Siegel,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Fan (out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fan%20%28out%29. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share