fans (out)

verb

present tense third-person singular of fan (out)
1
as in stretches (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 branches
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 fans (out)
  1. extends
  2. branches
  3. expands
  4. radiates
  5. unfolds
  6. rays
  7. opens
  8. stems
Verb
  • This effort extends beyond physical chip export controls, which have proven difficult to enforce, with new legislation like the Remote Access Security Act aiming to curb remote access.
    — John Werner, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The deal also extends the expiration date of non-refundable tax credits issued prior to 2025 by up to five years.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of extends
Verb
  • His demise, paired with the disappearance of mobster-type Nicky Caccimelio (Bobby Cannavale), sets the trio on the first phase of their adventures, which inevitably branches into fresh red herrings in customary Only Murders fashion.
    — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2025
Definition of branches
Verb
  • The event comes as China expands its robotics industry and competes to establish leadership in humanoid and autonomous machines, with more than 2,000 robots from 16 countries also taking part in the 2026 World Humanoid Robot Games.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Now about 5½ months old, Crimson is thriving on three legs, quickly returning to playful, curious cub behavior as the Oakland Zoo expands its track record of rescuing orphaned mountain lions.
    — Jasmine Mendez Follow, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of expands
Verb
  • What gets prototyped there radiates into field trips, after-school programs and summer camps that reach thousands of children a year.
    — Afdhel Aziz, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Bieniemy radiates discipline and accountability and, of course, carries an intimate understanding of the offense and has Reid’s trust.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of radiates
Verb
  • Officials stress that the information released so far is preliminary and subject to change as the investigation unfolds.
    — CBS News Miami Digital Team, CBS News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The footage mixes high-speed chases and explosive action with comedic beats, framing a story built around chaos, mismatched heroism and rising stakes as the mission unfolds.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of unfolds
Verb
  • Scientists have long grouped sharks together as a natural evolutionary unit, meaning every shark species shares a common ancestor that rays and skates do not.
    — Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
Definition of rays
Verb
  • This front entry opens to a foyer that has an unobstructed view of the great room.
    — James Alexander, Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Friday night opens with the Ed Wagner Brass Band, an authentic German-style brass band.
    — Hank Beckman, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of opens
Verb
  • The affordability issue stems more from the fact that wages have not kept pace with cost of living increases over those 20 years.
    — Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Over time, this can result in long stretches of bare stems closer to the pot as the plant concentrates on developing new growth on the tips of the vines.
    — Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of stems
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

fans
fans (out)
fantabulous
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fans (out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fans%20%28out%29. Accessed 31 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gumption

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All