1
as in spreading (out)
to arrange the parts of (something) over a wider area
the accordionist smoothly fanned out the bellows of his instrument as he played
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in radiating
to extend outwards from or as if from a central point
most of the city's subway lines fan out from this central station
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fanning (out)
Verb
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The green leaves radiating from the base of each dandelion.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Oct. 2025 -
Comet Lemmon's tail was formed when heat radiating from the sun caused icy materials embedded in its ancient body to transform directly into gas, a process known as sublimation.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Unlike the branching corals, which were victims of water that at one point reached hot tub temperatures, pillar coral’s killer was mostly a pernicious and little understood coral disease, story coral tissue loss disease, although extreme heat did claim some.—
Alex Harris,
Miami Herald,
24 Oct. 2025
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Since the Ice Age, elkhorn and staghorn corals off Florida’s southern coast have been stacking their skeletons into elaborate, branching homes for parrotfish, eels and octopuses.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In 2025, Ohtani is likely to earn another MVP award, adding to his ever-expanding trophy cabinet.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
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Environmental advocates question the need for expanding fossil fuel resources a time when greenhouse gases from those fuels are worsening climate change.—
Sarah Henry,
AZCentral.com,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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China’s Seafaring History (Smithsonian Magazine) by Sean Kingsley China has a history of maritime trade extending to West Africa, the Mediterranean, and much of Asia that goes back to the first millennium.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
29 Oct. 2025
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Kansas City Chiefs rookie left tackle Josh Simmons missed his third straight game Monday night against the Washington Commanders, extending an absence from the team that began in mid-October.—
Pete Sweeney,
Kansas City Star,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Billups was arrested less than nine hours after Portland’s season-opening season-opening loss at home, a game notably attended by the team’s current owner and a financier in the process of buying the franchise.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
24 Oct. 2025
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But Miller was back Wednesday in the Hornets’ 136-117 season-opening win over the Brooklyn Nets at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center — rising, soaring and dunking the ball with acrobatic impunity.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Their relationship is also unfolding against the backdrop of weakening Senate norms that in the past forced some semblance of bipartisanship.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
24 Oct. 2025
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Offering strikingly intimate access to a real, unfolding love triangle, the film documents all sides of what is usually kept behind closed doors.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
24 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Fanning (out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fanning%20%28out%29. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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