Meaning & use

fan

noun·Everyday

A device that creates a current of air, or an enthusiastic admirer or supporter.

See it in a sentence

She turned on the ceiling fan to cool the stuffy bedroom.

Thousands of fans lined the street to catch a glimpse of the band.

A note on using this word

The two common meanings of fan, the cooling device and the devoted supporter, come from entirely different word origins despite the identical spelling.

Words with a similar meaning

enthusiastadmirer

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

Another way to use it

2. verb

To move air toward someone or something, or to increase the intensity of a feeling or situation.

The scandal only fanned public anger toward the company's executives.

Make it your own

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