Meaning & use
fan
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A person who greatly admires or enjoys a sport, performer, team or activity.
Grammar: Usually with of: a fan of jazz.
Patterns
- a fan of someone
- a fan of something
She is a huge fan of the local football team.
The singer thanked her fans after the concert.
I'm not a fan of horror movies.
nouncountable
A device with blades or a hand-held object used to move air and cool a person or room.
Grammar: May be electric or hand-held.
Patterns
- a fan for something
We turned on the fan because the room was stuffy.
She waved a paper fan in front of her face.
The ceiling fan creaked softly all night.
verbtransitive
To move air toward something with a fan or a flat object, to cool it or make it burn.
Grammar: Takes an object: fan the flames.
Patterns
- fan something
- fan yourself
He fanned the fire with a piece of cardboard.
She fanned herself with a magazine during the heat.
The server fanned the steam away from the dish.
verbtransitivefigurative
To make a feeling or situation stronger or more intense, especially a negative one.
Grammar: Figurative: fan the flames of anger.
Patterns
- fan the flames of something
The rumors fanned fears of a shortage.
His speech fanned the flames of resentment.
Poor news coverage fanned public panic.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To spread out into a wide shape like an open fan.
Grammar: Often with out: the group fanned out.
Patterns
- fan out
The searchers fanned out across the field.
She fanned the cards in her hand.
The river fans out into a wide delta.
Word forms
| plural | fans |
|---|---|
| third person singular | fans |
| past tense | fanned |
| past participle | fanned |
| -ing form | fanning |
Common combinations
- die-hard fan
- He's a die-hard fan who never misses a game.
- fan club
- She joined the band's fan club.
- fan the flames
- Social media can fan the flames of a rumor.
- ceiling fan
- The ceiling fan cooled the cafe.
- fan base
- The group has a loyal fan base.
- fan out
- Police fanned out to search the park.
Synonyms and how they differ
- supporter
- Supporter is more formal and suggests backing a team or cause, often with loyalty over time.
- enthusiast
- Enthusiast suggests deep interest in an activity or hobby rather than admiration for a person.
- admirer
- Admirer is a person who respects someone, with less devoted excitement than a fan.
- fanatic
- Fanatic goes too far; it suggests an extreme and sometimes unreasonable devotion.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: fan or fanatic?
fan vs fanatic
A fanatic is extremely, even dangerously devoted, whereas a fan is simply an enthusiastic admirer.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'fan' as a verb?
Choose one answer.
Fanned the fire uses fan as a verb meaning to move air toward something. The others use the noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fan”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.