1
as in to stretch (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 to radiate
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 fan (out)
Verb
-
Bell, whose screen roles have long radiated decency and sensitivity, channels that guilelessness once more, only to expose it as yet another façade that helps Niall to conceal his darker impulses.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026 -
This X-ray glow is radiated when the heavy ions of the solar wind, like carbon and oxygen, grab an electron from neutral atoms in either our outer atmosphere or the heliosphere.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Batting from the right side, Romo’s home run to left-center against Suter in the sixth extended the lead to 4-1.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Coach Luis Enrique's PSG is at full strength while Vincent Kompany's Bayern has already clinched a record-extending 35th Bundesliga championship and remains on course for a treble.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Key differences include hollow versus solid stems, branched versus single stems and hairy versus smooth leaves.—
Ryan Brennan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Just as evolutionary biologists can reconstruct the branching history of a species from its genome, Astromech's engine is intended to explore potential future scenarios for pathogen or tumor evolution under therapeutic pressure.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Moon moves through your 9th House of Perspective, expanding how your ideas are received.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
-
At Fremantle, Katrosar built and expanded a global advertising business across streaming, broadcast, social and branded partnerships.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Moon in Scorpio forms a flowing trine to Jupiter across your 9th House of Perspective, opening up a clearer, bigger-picture view.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
2 May 2026
-
Newcastle is part of Tyneside, an area around the banks of the River Tyne that has been shaped by industry, a context that flows through A Great Day in Newcastle.—
Archie Forde,
Pitchfork,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Other standouts include bamboo extract, which shields hair from temperatures up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, and the brand’s B-Pro3 bond technology, a complex derived from chia seeds that can help protect hair from future damage.—
Sarah Felbin,
Allure,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The sandwiches derive their names from the city’s streets.—
Stephanie Breijo,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
After tracking a large school of Mobula rays for some time, Bingqiam Gao decided to try a different approach: Get ahead and wait.—
Cecilia Rodriguez,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2026
-
The PlayStation 5 Pro is a more powerful spin on the vanilla PS5, thanks to ray tracing and AI upscaling that give games a visual boost.—
Will Greenwald,
PC Magazine,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
People drove up and opened trunks to reveal boxes and shopping bags full of ancient yellowed papers.—
Mary Norris,
New Yorker,
1 May 2026
-
Later, Mercury in Aries aligns with Chiron, opening the door for honest conversations that can repair something important.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Fan (out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fan%20%28out%29. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
