fanning

verb

present participle of fan
1
as in igniting

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2
as in oscillating

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fanning
  1. igniting
  2. oscillating
  3. inflaming
  4. swaying
  5. triggering
  6. waving
  7. kindling
  8. flicking
Verb
  • In 2019, a train lost control while approaching Cairo’s main station in Ramses Square, igniting a fire that killed 25 people.
    — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2026
  • The debut issue features SM Entertainment‘s trainee group SMTR25, with content distributed globally through Billboard China‘s international network — earning rave reviews and igniting buzz worldwide.
    — Billboard China, Billboard, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of igniting
Verb
  • An oscillating dub siren sounds against the chime of a triangle and crackling waves pitched to loud white noise.
    — Emma Madden, Pitchfork, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Understanding these effects could help identify the physical limits of controlling electrons with rapidly oscillating light fields.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of oscillating
Verb
  • However, with the public already discontented over elevated living costs and deteriorating public services, such measures risk further inflaming social tensions.
    — , CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Anthropic updates its policies to bar users being cruel to Claude, inflaming a debate about whether the company’s concern for ‘model welfare’ is wise.
    — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of inflaming
Verb
  • Foliage rustles in the autumn wind here, and where there aren’t corn husks swaying, there are flat, lonely expanses of dirt where crops have been harvested.
    — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Las Palmas, for one, is a touch more private, surrounded by swaying palms and with a view of the ocean from the top deck.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of swaying
Verb
  • The next day, historic flooding tore through parts of the region — washing out highways, triggering rock and mudslides and cutting off communities that have spent more than a week navigating lengthy detours.
    — Kelly Werthmann, CBS News, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Once these new authorities are in place, Rodríguez is expected to declare the presidency vacant, triggering a six-month deadline for elections, according to the State Department.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of triggering
Verb
  • Watchstanders got a distress call just before noon from the good Samaritan, who told them that there was a vessel with smoke coming from it roughly five miles west of the beach, with a person waving their arms on board.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Milwaukee fans in the crowd of 40,514, many waving yellow towels and some wearing cheeseheads, brought a Badger State feel to Tropicana Field.
    — Ronald Blum, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of waving
Verb
  • Anxiety over America’s build-out of data centers has reached Wall Street in recent days, kindling fears that the artificial intelligence boom is unsustainable.
    — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
  • This wildfire season was supercharged by heavy rains in January that spurred vegetation growth, which became kindling when the summer heat arrived.
    — Sam McNeil, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of kindling
Verb
  • During winter, both kinglet species flit among tree branches, frequently hovering and energetically flicking their wings to startle insects into movement.
    — Charles Seabrook, AJC.com, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Instamall plans to keep adding brands, but it is already hooked into the inventory systems of its existing partners, so expanding the service to new cities could be as easy as flicking a switch.
    — Evan Clark, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of flicking
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.

Browse Nearby Words

fannies
fanning
fanning (out)
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Cite this Entry

“Fanning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fanning. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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