as in criticizing
to express one's unfavorable opinion of the worth or quality of
virtually all the movie critics have panned this latest sequel in a tired series
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of panning
There were gold-panning lessons at ten, eleven, one, two, and three.
—
Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
The footage opens with Jason Sudeikis' title character getting out of bed, before panning to glimpses of other main players in the crew — including Hannah Waddingham's Rebecca Welton, Juno Temple's Keeley Jones and Brett Goldstein's Roy Kent.
—Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 28 Apr. 2026
The video includes panning shots of the tower’s exterior and interior, with a presidential jet parked in the lobby alongside a gold escalator like the one Trump rode while launching his presidential campaign in 2015.
—ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
Sitting in the audience, Styles' mere presence repeatedly distracted the actor as the camera kept panning away from him for the beloved pop-rock star.
—Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Mar. 2026
The Neo is a product that was once unthinkable from a company that spent years panning the idea of netbooks and never bothered to make a budget laptop of its own.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026
The camera then kept panning to Styles, detracting from Gosling’s monologue about earth on the Studio 8H stage.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2026
There’s no camera panning the panic and no close-up to guide the emotion — only sound.
—Jordaan Ashley, Variety, 3 Mar. 2026
Saldaña was behind the camera for the rest of her vacation photos and videos, sharing a brief look at her silhouette on the beach before panning over to her three lookalike sons playing in the clear blue water.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 23 Feb. 2026
Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
The footage opens with Jason Sudeikis' title character getting out of bed, before panning to glimpses of other main players in the crew — including Hannah Waddingham's Rebecca Welton, Juno Temple's Keeley Jones and Brett Goldstein's Roy Kent.
—Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 28 Apr. 2026
The video includes panning shots of the tower’s exterior and interior, with a presidential jet parked in the lobby alongside a gold escalator like the one Trump rode while launching his presidential campaign in 2015.
—ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
Sitting in the audience, Styles' mere presence repeatedly distracted the actor as the camera kept panning away from him for the beloved pop-rock star.
—Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Mar. 2026
The Neo is a product that was once unthinkable from a company that spent years panning the idea of netbooks and never bothered to make a budget laptop of its own.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026
The camera then kept panning to Styles, detracting from Gosling’s monologue about earth on the Studio 8H stage.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2026
There’s no camera panning the panic and no close-up to guide the emotion — only sound.
—Jordaan Ashley, Variety, 3 Mar. 2026
Saldaña was behind the camera for the rest of her vacation photos and videos, sharing a brief look at her silhouette on the beach before panning over to her three lookalike sons playing in the clear blue water.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 23 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for panning
Verb
-
Bass defended her administration’s handling of homelessness, pointing to declining homelessness counts and the city’s Inside Safe program, while criticizing Raman’s record on police hiring and past votes against some encampment enforcement measures near schools and other sensitive sites.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
8 May 2026
-
The spike in the number of homicides that Little Rock experienced following the covid-19 pandemic featured heavily in that race, with Landers criticizing Scott’s record on public safety.—
Joseph Flaherty,
Arkansas Online,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
As the federal health department launches a plan to wean patients off antidepressants, mental health advocates and psychiatrists say blaming the United States' mental health crisis on overmedicalization and overprescription of psychiatric medications is an inaccurate portrayal of a complex problem.—
Rhitu Chatterjee,
NPR,
7 May 2026
-
Like Mangione, Tamura left behind a piece of evidence for investigators to find, blaming the NFL and football for causing chronic traumatic encephalopathy.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
And while criticism of insurance companies was bipartisan, Republicans and Democrats also blamed one another for the crisis, with the GOP faulting Obamacare and Democrats accusing Republicans of using the hearings to deflect from their own inaction to address rising premiums.—
Berkeley Lovelace Jr,
NBC news,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Some Havana Syndrome victims have spent more than a decade trying to draw attention to their cases, often faulting the government for failing to provide enough support or access to specialized medical care.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The leaders of other political parties joined Jetten in condemning the attacks.—
Molly Quell,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
-
The pope has often called for peace and unity, condemning violence and war.—
Emily Guskin,
ABC News,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
After the vote, Commissioner Zach Lindstrom thanked At Chandee's supporters for sharing his story while denouncing the current presidential administration for locking him up.—
Jeff Wagner,
CBS News,
2 May 2026
-
In response to The Star’s inquiry, Sarnecki provided a statement denouncing 7-OH and kratom.—
Matthew Kelly
May 1,
Kansas City Star,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Summer is knocking at the door.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
-
Not a dog barking or a feral cat knocking the lid off the garbage.—
Ellen Bass,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Panning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/panning. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
