fan

1.nounA2

Definition

a person who really likes, follows, and supports a particular celebrity, sports team, or activity

Example

Théo has been a devoted soccer fan since he was six years old.

collocation: devoted fan / big fan

Thousands of fans waited outside the hotel hoping to see the singer.

plural form with collective meaning

Common collocations

big fan
huge fan
avid fan
die-hard fan
fan base
fan club
fan of [sports team/celebrity]

Synonyms

supporter
stronger on active help and loyalty; a supporter donates or campaigns, while a fan mainly enjoys
enthusiast
more formal; suggests deep knowledge of a subject rather than emotional attachment
follower
often used for social media; weaker emotional investment than 'fan'

Antonyms

critic
someone who judges negatively rather than admires

Usage Note

Often followed by 'of' to name the admired subject (a fan of basketball, a fan of jazz). Adjectives like 'big', 'huge', 'avid', or 'die-hard' are commonly used before the word to show enthusiasm level.

Common Mistakes

I am a fan about Korean dramas.

I am a fan of Korean dramas.

use 'of', not 'about', after 'fan'.

2.nounB1

Definition

used in the phrase 'not a fan of' to express dislike of someone or something

Example

Hui is not a fan of spicy food, so she always orders mild dishes.

negative structure: not a fan of [noun]

Gabriel admitted he is not a big fan of early morning meetings.

common modifier: not a big fan of [something]

Common collocations

not a fan of
not a big fan of
not really a fan of

Synonyms

dislike
a neutral verb, less conversational than 'not a fan of'
not keen on
British English; milder than 'not a fan of'

Antonyms

like
the simple opposite, though less enthusiastic than 'be a fan of'

Grammar Patterns

not a fan of [noun/noun phrase]

Usage Note

Only the negative form 'not a fan of' carries this sense. The positive statement 'I am a fan of…' belongs to sense 1 and simply states admiration.

Common Mistakes

I am not a fan of going to the party, so I went.

I am not a fan of going to parties, so I stayed home.

the expression means you dislike something, so the second half must match that feeling.

3.nounA2

Definition

a machine with spinning blades that moves air around to make a space or person feel cooler

Example

Rachid turned on the ceiling fan when the room got too stuffy.

common type: ceiling fan

A small desk fan sat beside Nellie's computer, humming softly.

common type: desk fan

Common collocations

ceiling fan
desk fan
exhaust fan
tower fan
fan blades
turn on the fan
fan speed

Synonyms

air mover
technical term used in industry, not everyday conversation
ventilator
more common in medical contexts or for large building systems

Usage Note

Often modified by location or purpose (ceiling fan, desk fan, exhaust fan, tower fan). Can be used with 'turn on/off' or 'switch on/off' as with other electrical appliances.

Common Mistakes

❌ 'I turned on the fan to cool the room because the air conditioner is broken.' — this is correct usage, but learners sometimes confuse 'fan' with 'air conditioner'. A fan moves air but does not actively cool or remove heat like an AC.

4.nounB1

Definition

a hand-held item with a broad flat area that you move to stir the surrounding air

Example

Pim opened his folding fan and waved it slowly in the heat.

common type: folding fan

Andrew bought a silk fan painted with cherry blossoms as a souvenir.

Common collocations

folding fan
paper fan
hand fan
silk fan
wave a fan
open a fan

Synonyms

hand fan
more descriptive, used to distinguish from electric fans

Usage Note

Commonly called a 'hand fan' or 'folding fan' to distinguish it from an electric fan. Often made of paper, silk, bamboo, or plastic.

Idioms

when the shit hits the fan

idiom

This phrase describes the moment when a serious problem or mistake is discovered by someone in charge.

When the shit hits the fan, the manager will blame everyone.

Did you have a plan for when the shit hits the fan?

1.verbtransitiveB1

Definition

to move a fan or another flat object back and forth near your face or body so that you feel cooler

Example

Baraka fanned himself with a magazine while waiting for the bus.

object: flat object substituting for a fan

Liang sat on the porch and fanned her face with a newspaper.

Common collocations

fan yourself
fan your face
fan someone with something

Synonyms

waft
less common; implies a gentler, wider motion through the air

Grammar Patterns

fan + object

Usage Note

Often used reflexively (fanned himself) or with a body part as the object (fanned her face). Any flat, light object can serve as the tool.

Common Mistakes

She fanned to cool down.

She fanned herself with a piece of paper.

the object (who or what you fan) is usually stated.

2.verbtransitiveB1

Definition

to direct moving air onto a flame or pile of burning material so that it grows larger and hotter

Example

Nora fanned the campfire until the flames rose high into the dark sky.

object: campfire

Élise used a piece of cardboard to fan the dying embers back to life.

idiomatic: fan embers back to life

Common collocations

fan the fire
fan the flames
fan the embers
fan the coals

Synonyms

stoke
focuses on adding fuel rather than air; 'stoke a fire' often uses a poker or more fuel

Antonyms

douse
to put out a fire with water or by removing air

Grammar Patterns

fan + fire/flame

Usage Note

The subject can be a person or the wind itself. Often describes the literal action of reviving a fire, but also appears in the fixed phrase 'fan the flames' (see sense 3).

3.verbtransitiveB2

Definition

to make unpleasant emotions, arguments, or bad behavior stronger and more intense

Example

The politician's speech fanned feelings of anger among the crowd.

figurative: fan + emotion (anger)

Rumors about the layoffs fanned anxiety throughout the company.

figurative: fan + emotion (anxiety)

Common collocations

fan anger
fan hatred
fan fear
fan tensions
fan anxiety
fan conflict
fan the flames of [emotion]

Synonyms

fuel
similar intensity; 'fuel anger' feels slightly more active than 'fan anger'
stoke
often used figuratively too: 'stoke tensions'; implies deliberate provocation
intensify
neutral and less vivid; does not carry the image of actively blowing on a fire

Antonyms

calm
to reduce strong emotions
ease
to make tensions or anxiety less intense

Grammar Patterns

fan + negative emotion/conflict

Usage Note

Only used with negative emotions or conflict — anger, fear, hatred, anxiety, tension, panic. It is NOT used with positive feelings such as joy or love.

Common Mistakes

The good news fanned everyone's happiness.

The generous donation fanned everyone's hopes.

'fan' works with emotions that can grow stronger, but it is most natural with negative or intense emotions, not simple happiness.

4.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2

Definition

to open or spread something so that it takes a wide, curved shape like a hand-held fan

Example

Selim fanned the playing cards out across the table so everyone could see them.

transitive: fan + object + out

The peacock fanned its tail feathers in a beautiful display of color.

inanimate subject: peacock

Common collocations

fan out
fan the cards
fan the pages
fan the documents
fan the fingers
fan tail feathers

Synonyms

spread
broader meaning; 'spread' can go in any direction, while 'fan' always suggests a curved, open pattern
unfold
focuses on opening from a folded state, not necessarily into a fan shape

Antonyms

fold
to bring together or close something spread out

Grammar Patterns

fan + object + out/wide

fan out (intransitive)

Usage Note

Often used with 'out' (fan out), which can be transitive (fan the cards out) or intransitive (searchers fanned out). Without 'out', it is always transitive (fan the cards, fan the pages).

5.verbtransitiveC1

Definition

in baseball, to throw pitches that a batter misses three times, resulting in the batter being out

Example

The pitcher fanned the first batter on three fastballs down the middle.

baseball transitive: fan + batter

Lee fanned twelve batters in last night's game, setting a new team record.

Common collocations

fan the batter
fan [number] batters

Synonyms

strike out
the standard modern term; 'strike out' can also describe the batter's action (the batter struck out)

Grammar Patterns

fan + batter

Usage Note

A baseball-specific term. The subject is always the pitcher; the object is the batter. The more common modern term is 'strike out'. 'Fan' in this sense is mainly used in sports commentary and older baseball writing.

Word family

fanatic
nounB2
fanatical
adjectiveC1
fandom
nounB2
fanaticism
nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe someone with a positive connection to a person, team, or activity, but they differ in tone and scope. A supporter actively backs a cause or person — donating money, campaigning, or showing up at events — while a fan mainly enjoys following from the audience. A follower tracks someone's updates on social media or news but may lack emotional investment. An enthusiast has deep knowledge of a subject (a train enthusiast knows the technical details), whereas a fan is driven more by enjoyment and loyalty. A devotee is the most intense: giving large amounts of time and energy, almost like a form of dedication. For everyday use, 'fan' is the most common and neutral choice. Example: 'Lara is a fan of the local basketball team' simply states she enjoys watching them. 'Lara is a supporter of the local team' implies she buys tickets or helps fund them. 'Lara is a follower of the team' suggests she checks their scores online but rarely attends games.

supporter ↗follower ↗enthusiast ↗devotee

Common collocations

Nouns

fan club
fan base

Prepositions

fan of

Etymology

LatinOld EnglishEnglishAmerican English

The word 'fan' entered English from two different historical roots that later merged. The hand-held cooling device (noun sense 4) comes from Old English 'fann', from Latin 'vannus' (a winnowing basket used for throwing grain into the air so the wind could separate the chaff). The verbs for moving air and spreading out grow from this root. The 'enthusiastic admirer' sense (noun sense 1) is much newer — it is a shortened form of 'fanatic', from Latin 'fanaticus' meaning 'inspired by a temple' (a fanum was a sacred place). This abbreviation first appeared in late 19th-century American English, originally describing enthusiastic baseball spectators. The two words, one ancient and one modern, now share the same spelling but carry very different meanings.

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fan

fan — noun

1. a person who really likes, follows, and supports a particular celebrity, sports

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

2. used in the phrase 'not a fan of' to express dislike of someone or something

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

3. a machine with spinning blades that moves air around to make a space or person f

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

4. a hand-held item with a broad flat area that you move to stir the surrounding ai

Usage Note

when the shit hits the fan

fan — verb

1. to move a fan or another flat object back and forth near your face or body so th

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

2. to direct moving air onto a flame or pile of burning material so that it grows l

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

3. to make unpleasant emotions, arguments, or bad behavior stronger and more intens

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

4. to open or spread something so that it takes a wide, curved shape like a hand-he

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

5. in baseball, to throw pitches that a batter misses three times, resulting in the

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Word family

Synonym discussion

Common collocations

Nouns

Prepositions

Etymology

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