"fan out" meaning in English

See fan out in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Forms: fans out [present, singular, third-person], fanning out [participle, present], fanned out [participle, past], fanned out [past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|*}} fan out (third-person singular simple present fans out, present participle fanning out, simple past and past participle fanned out)
  1. (transitive, intransitive, also figurative) To spread out into the shape of a fan. Tags: also, figuratively, intransitive, transitive Translations (to spread out in the shape of a fan): sventagliare (Italian), whewhera (Māori), rozkładać się półkoliście [imperfective] (Polish), rozłożyć się półkoliście [perfective] (Polish), desplegar en abanico (Spanish), extender como paipái (Spanish)
    Sense id: en-fan_out-en-verb-dLm5UxkL Disambiguation of 'to spread out in the shape of a fan': 95 5
  2. (slang) To display (or reveal) oneself as a fan or obsessive. Tags: slang
    Sense id: en-fan_out-en-verb-vLeGPG5D Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English phrasal verbs formed with "out", Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Italian translations, Terms with Māori translations, Terms with Polish translations, Terms with Spanish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 29 71 Disambiguation of English phrasal verbs formed with "out": 35 65 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 36 64 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 34 66 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 21 79 Disambiguation of Terms with Italian translations: 22 78 Disambiguation of Terms with Māori translations: 24 76 Disambiguation of Terms with Polish translations: 39 61 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 18 82

Inflected forms

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "fans out",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "fanning out",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "fanned out",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "fanned out",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "fan out (third-person singular simple present fans out, present participle fanning out, simple past and past participle fanned out)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              31,
              39
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1963 June, “News and Comment: Sheffield scheme progress”, in Modern Railways, page 368:",
          "text": "West of the summit the cutting fans out at the entrance to the new yard on the north side.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              12,
              19
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 188, about Flamborough:",
          "text": "Its streets fan out towards the clifftops, and its sheltered North Landing harbours open-decked fishing boats, called 'cobles'.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              122,
              129
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2023 March 8, Chris Howe, “Building the platform for Old Oak Common's platforms”, in RAIL, number 978, page 60:",
          "text": "Although the platforms for the station will be 450 metres, the full length of the 850-metre box is to allow the tracks to fan out and switches to be installed, so that the trains can reach each of the six platforms.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To spread out into the shape of a fan."
      ],
      "id": "en-fan_out-en-verb-dLm5UxkL",
      "links": [
        [
          "spread out",
          "spread out"
        ],
        [
          "fan",
          "fan"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive, intransitive, also figurative) To spread out into the shape of a fan."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "also",
        "figuratively",
        "intransitive",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "lang_code": "it",
          "sense": "to spread out in the shape of a fan",
          "word": "sventagliare"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "mi",
          "lang": "Māori",
          "lang_code": "mi",
          "sense": "to spread out in the shape of a fan",
          "word": "whewhera"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "to spread out in the shape of a fan",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "rozkładać się półkoliście"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "to spread out in the shape of a fan",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "rozłożyć się półkoliście"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "to spread out in the shape of a fan",
          "word": "desplegar en abanico"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "to spread out in the shape of a fan",
          "word": "extender como paipái"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "29 71",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "35 65",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English phrasal verbs formed with \"out\"",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "36 64",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "34 66",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "21 79",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "22 78",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Italian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "24 76",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Māori translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "39 61",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Polish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "18 82",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              202,
              209
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2023 July 24, Elise Solé, “Should you worry if your teen is a 'stan'?”, in Today.com:",
          "text": "A 2014 study published by Innovations in Clincal Neuroscience, however, pointed to \"narcissistic features, dissociation, addictive tendencies, stalking behavior, and compulsive buying\" among people who fan out over celebrities.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To display (or reveal) oneself as a fan or obsessive."
      ],
      "id": "en-fan_out-en-verb-vLeGPG5D",
      "links": [
        [
          "display",
          "display"
        ],
        [
          "reveal",
          "reveal"
        ],
        [
          "fan",
          "fan"
        ],
        [
          "obsessive",
          "obsessive"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(slang) To display (or reveal) oneself as a fan or obsessive."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "fan out"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English phrasal verbs",
    "English phrasal verbs formed with \"out\"",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Italian translations",
    "Terms with Māori translations",
    "Terms with Polish translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "fans out",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "fanning out",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "fanned out",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "fanned out",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "fan out (third-person singular simple present fans out, present participle fanning out, simple past and past participle fanned out)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English intransitive verbs",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English transitive verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              31,
              39
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1963 June, “News and Comment: Sheffield scheme progress”, in Modern Railways, page 368:",
          "text": "West of the summit the cutting fans out at the entrance to the new yard on the north side.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              12,
              19
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 188, about Flamborough:",
          "text": "Its streets fan out towards the clifftops, and its sheltered North Landing harbours open-decked fishing boats, called 'cobles'.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              122,
              129
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2023 March 8, Chris Howe, “Building the platform for Old Oak Common's platforms”, in RAIL, number 978, page 60:",
          "text": "Although the platforms for the station will be 450 metres, the full length of the 850-metre box is to allow the tracks to fan out and switches to be installed, so that the trains can reach each of the six platforms.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To spread out into the shape of a fan."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "spread out",
          "spread out"
        ],
        [
          "fan",
          "fan"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive, intransitive, also figurative) To spread out into the shape of a fan."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "also",
        "figuratively",
        "intransitive",
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English slang",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              202,
              209
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2023 July 24, Elise Solé, “Should you worry if your teen is a 'stan'?”, in Today.com:",
          "text": "A 2014 study published by Innovations in Clincal Neuroscience, however, pointed to \"narcissistic features, dissociation, addictive tendencies, stalking behavior, and compulsive buying\" among people who fan out over celebrities.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To display (or reveal) oneself as a fan or obsessive."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "display",
          "display"
        ],
        [
          "reveal",
          "reveal"
        ],
        [
          "fan",
          "fan"
        ],
        [
          "obsessive",
          "obsessive"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(slang) To display (or reveal) oneself as a fan or obsessive."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "lang_code": "it",
      "sense": "to spread out in the shape of a fan",
      "word": "sventagliare"
    },
    {
      "code": "mi",
      "lang": "Māori",
      "lang_code": "mi",
      "sense": "to spread out in the shape of a fan",
      "word": "whewhera"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "to spread out in the shape of a fan",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "rozkładać się półkoliście"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "to spread out in the shape of a fan",
      "tags": [
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "rozłożyć się półkoliście"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "to spread out in the shape of a fan",
      "word": "desplegar en abanico"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "to spread out in the shape of a fan",
      "word": "extender como paipái"
    }
  ],
  "word": "fan out"
}

Download raw JSONL data for fan out meaning in English (3.8kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-03-25 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-03-03 using wiktextract (05c257f and 9d9a410). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.