fanning

verb

present participle of fan
1
as in igniting

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in oscillating

Related Words

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
  • The discovery is the latest instance of CDE leadership telling employees bedbugs are not in the building, only for more to be discovered at a later date and igniting doubt among CDE’s workforce on whether treatment is effective.
    — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The fracas has only elevated the film’s profile, with every tweet that Musk has fired off igniting a new wave of coverage.
    — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of igniting
Verb
  • The Super-Kamiokande experiment, an enormous 110 million-pound (50-kiloton) vessel of ultrapure water buried under a mountain in Japan, discovered in 1998 that neutrinos produced in the atmosphere were oscillating.
    — Doug Cowen, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026
  • How to Change the Grout in Your Shower Start your refresh by removing the old grout with grout removal tools like a grout saw or an oscillating tool equipped with a grout removal blade.
    — Michelle Mastro, The Spruce, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of oscillating
Verb
  • Relying on remote technical collection could also avoid inflaming opposition by field officers who may not be prepared to take great personal risks to help the private sector.
    — DAVID S. COHEN, Foreign Affairs, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The gendered backlash spilled offline into a recent council meeting and is inflaming political divisions within College Park.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of inflaming
Verb
  • The observer at the edge of the dance-floor, secretly swaying with the rhythm.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026
  • But the man simply stood there with a dazed expression on his face, swaying gently in the living room of their small, cramped flat, like a lone tree in the breeze.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of swaying
Verb
  • And using a large portion of cash savings or pulling money from a retirement account to eliminate that mortgage could create other problems, including reducing liquidity or potentially triggering a sizable tax bill.
    — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Extra chaos Then Alex Albon’s Williams suffered a gearbox failure on lap 43, triggering a virtual safety car.
    — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of triggering
Verb
  • The stranger approached the store owner, a stout man waving a rattan fan lazily at his face while sitting at the till.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Fortunately, her dad is used to making saves in front of 42,843 towel-waving fans.
    — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of waving
Verb
  • 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
  • Even minor parks or embers might be carried into leaves or grass, kindling a fire that can swiftly expand.
    — CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 14 July 2026
Definition of kindling
Verb
  • Coming for a variety of longtime critics of the merger, opposition rose and suspicion about the settlement served to pour gasoline on an already flicking fire.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026
  • He’s getting hit sometimes, and just flicking this ball out there.
    — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 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 11 Oct. 2026.

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