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 design keeps wet dust and salt fog away from sensitive internal electronics, which extends the operational service life of the hardware to ten years and lowers maintenance requirements.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Seniors search for alternatives The impact extends to older swimmers as well.
    — Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 22 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
  • This new effort expands on individual airline trials to try mitigating contrails across an entire flight corridor.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Under the new partnership, the companies will work together to develop, finance and produce original features, formalizing an ongoing creative relationship as Watch This Ready expands its slate across independent and studio-backed projects.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 18 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 onslaught stems in part from Ossoff’s status as a potential presidential candidate.
    — Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Summary Productivity expert Neal Schore challenges conventional wisdom, arguing that true time loss stems not from poor planning but from internal factors like fear, overthinking, and emotional habits.
    — Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 13 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 25 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 tilde

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

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

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
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
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All