PANNING Synonyms: 82 Similar and Opposite Words

panning

verb

present participle of pan

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

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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 Stagg, meanwhile, had written a letter panning that office’s work and claiming that the unit led by Norwegian Sverre Petterssen made the correct call. —

Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 29 May 2026 Audiences haven’t been deterred by the critics largely panning the film for being shallow and offensively commercial. —

Jemele Hill, The Atlantic, 16 May 2026 An artificial intelligence video unveiled in March 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, 14 May 2026 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for panning

Verb

In March, Warren led the Massachusetts delegation in a letter to the State Department criticizing the administration’s lack of preparation in terms of evacuating Americans and pressing for answers on its response.

— Justin Papp, CNBC, 28 May 2026
The agreement was immediately challenged in Kenya’s High Court, with opponents criticizing it for unfavorable terms.

— Larry Madowo, CNN Money, 28 May 2026