fan out
verb
fanned out; fanning out; fans out
: to spread apart or to cause (something) to spread apart
The police fanned out across the park in search of the suspect.
He fanned out his fingers.
Examples of fan out in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Throughout the morning, Lisius — and chasers who had fanned out across North Texas — waited for the drifting cumulus clouds to rise far enough to become a tornado-producing supercell thunderstorm.
—
Emily Holshouser
may 19, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 May 2026
In Alameda County, about 1,300 volunteers fanned out for the most recent survey on a cold January morning.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 19 May 2026
Despite the preparations and the buzz among the nation’s vast population of soccer fans, World Cup fever has not caught on among families of the disappeared and the search teams that each week fan out across Guadalajara, looking for new graves.
—Steve Fisher, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2026
Efficiency experts fanned out from academia and the emerging world of think tanks to advise and administer government.
—Literary Hub, 12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for fan out
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Emily Holshouser
may 19, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 May 2026
In Alameda County, about 1,300 volunteers fanned out for the most recent survey on a cold January morning.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 19 May 2026
Despite the preparations and the buzz among the nation’s vast population of soccer fans, World Cup fever has not caught on among families of the disappeared and the search teams that each week fan out across Guadalajara, looking for new graves.
—Steve Fisher, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2026
Efficiency experts fanned out from academia and the emerging world of think tanks to advise and administer government.
—Literary Hub, 12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for fan out
Cite this Entry
“Fan out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fan%20out. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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