FAN (fanned, fanning)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected forms: fanned    , fanning   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does fan mean? 

• FAN (noun)
  The noun FAN has 3 senses:

1. a device for creating a current of air by movement of a surface or surfaces

2. an enthusiastic devotee of sports

3. an ardent follower and admirer

  Familiarity information: FAN used as a noun is uncommon.

• FAN (verb)
  The verb FAN has 4 senses:

1. strike out (a batter), (of a pitcher)

2. make (an emotion) fiercer

3. agitate the air

4. blow away or off with a current of air

  Familiarity information: FAN used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FAN (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A device for creating a current of air by movement of a surface or surfaces

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("fan" is a kind of...):

device (an instrumentality invented for a particular purpose)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fan"):

blower; electric fan (a fan run by an electric motor)

exhaust fan (a fan that moves air out of an enclosure)

punkah (a large fan consisting of a frame covered with canvas that is suspended from the ceiling; used in India for circulating air in a room)

Holonyms ("fan" is a part of...):

cooling system; engine cooling system (equipment in a motor vehicle that cools the engine)

Derivation:

fan (agitate the air)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An enthusiastic devotee of sports

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

fan; rooter; sports fan

Hypernyms ("fan" is a kind of...):

enthusiast; partisan; partizan (an ardent and enthusiastic supporter of some person or activity)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fan"):

aficionado (a fan of bull fighting)

railbird (a fan of racing who watches races from the outer rail of the track)

Derivation:

fandom (the fans of a sport or famous person)

Sense 3

Meaning:

An ardent follower and admirer

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

buff; devotee; fan; lover

Hypernyms ("fan" is a kind of...):

follower (a person who accepts the leadership of another)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fan"):

aerophile (a lover of aviation)

aficionado (a serious devotee of some particular music genre or musical performer)

amorist (one dedicated to love and lovemaking especially one who writes about love)

bacchanal; bacchant (a drunken reveller; a devotee of Bacchus)

groupie (an enthusiastic young fan (especially a young woman who follows rock groups around))

metalhead (a fan of heavy metal music)

Holonyms ("fan" is a member of...):

followers; following (a group of followers or enthusiasts)

• FAN (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they fan    ... he / she / it fans   
Past simple: fanned   
Past participle: fanned   
-ing form: fanning   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Strike out (a batter), (of a pitcher)

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "fan" is one way to...):

strike out (put out or be put out by a strikeout)

Domain category:

ball; baseball; baseball game (a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 2

Meaning:

Make (an emotion) fiercer

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

fan hatred

Hypernyms (to "fan" is one way to...):

compound; deepen; heighten; intensify (make more intense, stronger, or more marked)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Agitate the air

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "fan" is one way to...):

agitate; shake (move or cause to move back and forth)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "fan"):

winnow (blow on)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

fan (a device for creating a current of air by movement of a surface or surfaces)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Blow away or off with a current of air

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

fan; winnow

Context example:

The speaker ceased to be an amusing little gnat to be fanned away and was kicked off the forum

Hypernyms (to "fan" is one way to...):

remove; take; take away; withdraw (remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

 Context examples 

Poor Fanny! cried William, coming for a moment to visit her, and working away his partner's fan as if for life, how soon she is knocked up!

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

Mrs. Markleham, with a short groan, leaned back in her easy-chair; and retired behind her fan, as if she were never coming out any more.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

He did not mind the hunger so much, but the lack of water caused him severe suffering and fanned his wrath to fever-pitch.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

The five boats went over the side with a rush, spread out like the ribs of a fan, and set a northerly course, as on the preceding afternoon, for us to follow.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

The wind fanned the fire, and the cottage was quickly enveloped by the flames, which clung to it and licked it with their forked and destroying tongues.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

The party spread itself abroad, in a fan shape, shouting and leaping to and fro.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

His little fan of yellow light shone upon a low window.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“Fan ’em, Jack; keep on fanning ’em!”

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A fan shaped muscle running from the underside of the tongue to the mandible which depresses and protrudes the tongue.

(Genioglossus, NCI Thesaurus)

From June 1 through July 15, researchers from across North America will fan out each evening across the Great Plains, where storms are more common at night than during the day.

(Scientists tackle mystery of thunderstorms that strike at night, NSF)