fan1 nounfan2 verb
fanfan1 /fæn/ ●●● S3 W2 noun [countable] 
WORD ORIGINfan1
Origin:
1 1800-1900 fanatic2 700-800 Latin vannusEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Fans of Sylvester Stallone will enjoy this movie.
- a beautiful, delicate Japanese fan
- a football fan
- I'm not much of a basketball fan, but I love baseball.
- Leeds fans howled in anguish as Arsenal scored another goal.
- Over 200 British football fans were sent home after the violence in Rimini.
- Thousands of fans came to hear Oasis play.
- Thousands of fans queued to buy tickets.
- But he played splendid golf, which at least kept his fans in good spirits.
- Earnhardt's death seems to have spawned a touch of indifference among the legions of loyal stock car racing fans.
- I couldnt tell if it was Soton fans joining in the appreciation, or just Leeds fans everywhere.
- Once, he threw a baseball in the stands that struck a fan in the chest.
- Seating around the perimeter of the oval would allow fans a panoramic view over the entire track.
- This doubles the time the fans show little consideration.
- Those irate fans, however, may be mollified if the committee continues to deal consistently with all such offenders.
Longman Language Activatorsomeone who likes something very much
someone who likes a particular sport, team, or famous entertainer very much: · Thousands of fans came to hear Oasis play.· a football fanfan of: · Fans of Sylvester Stallone will enjoy this movie.
someone who likes a particular activity very much: music/car/wine/animal etc lover: · We are a nation of animal lovers.· Every jazz lover dreams of visiting New Orleans.lover of: · Lovers of night life won't be able to resist the many nightclubs in the area.
someone who likes a subject, activity, performer etc very much, is very interested in them and knows a lot about them: · Enthusiasts are willing to pay up to $12,000 for an original copy of the book.football/film/jazz etc enthusiast: · Golf enthusiasts will be able to see the tournament live on TV.· The exhibition will be of interest to classic car owners and other motoring enthusiasts.
informal someone who is extremely interested in a particular activity, especially when other people think they are a little strange for liking it so much: health/tv/sports etc freak: · Raw vegetables and nuts have always been a favourite with health-food freaks.· One Beatle's freak is reported to have paid $18,000 for Paul McCartney's birth certificate.
informal someone who does, eats, watches etc something a lot because they enjoy it so much that they cannot stop doing it - use this especially when you do not think someone should be spending so much time doing or being involved in a particular thing: TV/news/fast food etc junkie: · If you're a shopping junkie, then this is the channel for you!· You'd have to be a real political junkie to remember that Tsongas won the New Hampshire Primary in 1992.TV/news/fast food etc addict: · My sons and my husband are all football addicts.
formal someone who likes something such as art or literature very much and spends a lot of their time and money on it: · He's a devotee of old Hollywood movies.· Urquhart, a rich devotee of the arts, made generous donations to the museum.
someone who watches a sport someone who goes to a game and watches people playing a sport: · I'm not playing myself, I'm just a spectator.· Over 30,000 spectators turned out for the women's basketball match against Zaire.
someone who likes a particular sport, or a particular team, and often goes to watch a game or watch a team play: · Thousands of fans queued to buy tickets.football/cricket/hockey etc fan: · Over 200 British football fans were sent home after the violence in Rimini.United/England/Yankee etc fans: · Leeds fans howled in anguish as Arsenal scored another goal.
British someone who likes a particular sport or team and often goes to watch a game or watch a team play - use this especially about football: · Several supporters were arrested outside the stadium.· The town was full of football supporters, waiting for the big day.Milan/Liverpool etc supporter: · Milan supporters cheered as they scored their first goal in two games.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYADJECTIVES/NOUN + fan
Beckham’s devoted fans
· Jack is a keen football fan.
· Jazz fans are in for a treat at this year’s Montreux Jazz Festival.
· This book is a must for all film fans.
· Manchester United fans were delighted with their team’s victory.
· Mike has been a lifelong Kylie Minogue fan.
· Elizabeth is a massive fan of Elton John.
(=a strong supporter or admirer)· Devoted fans from all over the country have travelled to the concert.
(=fans who always support someone)· He will be playing to hundreds of loyal fans on Sunday.
(=fans who like and admire someone very much)· She’s mobbed by adoring fans wherever she goes.
· She told Dave that she was his number one fan.
(=fans who support different teams competing against each other)· There were fights between rival fans outside the stadium.
(=fans at their own team’s sports field)· The home fans cheered the team onto the pitch.
(=fans visiting another team’s sports field)· Two sections of the ground had been allocated to away fans.
fan + NOUN· The group receives lots of fan mail.
· Her fan club has 25,000 members in the UK alone.
(=the people who are someone’s biggest fans)· The band has built up a loyal fan base over the years.
verbs· Fans on both sides applauded their skill and spirit.
· Their own fans booed them off the pitch.
· England fans chanted his name.
· The concert was cancelled, disappointing hundreds of fans.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES (=for people who like a particular team, band, person etc)· I used to be a member of the Take That fan club.
(=someone who likes cricket, especially watching it)
Beckham’s devoted fans (=make them burn more by waving something in front of them)· She used a large piece of card to fan the flames.
(=someone who likes football a lot)· Pat is a keen football fan.
(=letters from fans)· He gets so much fan mail he had to employ a secretary to deal with it.
· There were fights between rival fans after the match.
(=someone who enjoys watching sport)· He was a big sports fan.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE· Uncle Tu was a big fan of your teacher.· A big fan of the toys is Ted's young son, Sean, who attends Courtaulds' creche, in Coventry.· The big fan above the door hums.· John Miller, 57, is a big Frank Sinatra fan.· He is a big fan of reggae music and the late Bob Marley, a follower of the Rastafarian religion.· Amanda Holden is a big fan, apparently.· Eric Clapton, Greg Allman and many other great guitar players were big fans of his.
· He became a great fan of yours after a particularly exciting performance you conducted of Belshazzar's Feast.· He was a great fan of waitresses.· And I was a great fan of Hank's.· For half an hour, the great fan blows, and iron melts, gathering at the base of the furnace.· I am a great fan of rave music yet the lyrics have never made me want to try the drug.· Last week Couples left his clubs in the bag, relaxed and watched basketball, of which he is a great fan.· The old-money set was not Mrs Hancock's greatest fan.· Anyway, my father and his theatrical consortium have always been great fans of Trumpton.
NOUN· Aside from the band itself, an interesting aspect of Neon Prophet is its fan base.· Her relentless touring and razor-sharp musical skills are widening her fan base.
· I believe that if an act wants to run a fan club, it should be a service rather than a profit-making enterprise.· Selena was murdered by the president of her fan club last March 31.· In just the few seconds that it took Roebuck to de-rail Shelford, a whole new Marty Roebuck fan club was born.· Now if only there was an okonomiyaki fan club!· Of these some 6,000 are members of a fan club. 18.· When all that failed, the fan club began to reach out to feel him, shake his hand.· But Dolan and Burgess have not signed up for the fan club.
· Pat is a keen football fan.· Pittsburgh women have always been astute football fans.· A keen football fan, he attended Dinamo's first leg 2-1 win and met with Linfield chairman David Campbell.· It caused outrage around the world among politicians, football fans and administrators.· But on the biggest beer drinking day of the year, some football fans will reach for a nonalcoholic beer.· Or both. Football fans were smiling for obvious reasons.
· Michael Aspel: I've only once in my life written a fan letter to a film star.· Next up could be photos in teen magazines and fan letters.· He received 2,000 fan letters a week and, when filming, had no less than 18 stand-ins lined up.· When I began writing a column for the Oakland Tribune in 1963, one of my first fan letters was from Caen.· Mlle Bernardi wasn't forgotten in the excitement; she received a reported 50,000 fan letters.
· At any rate, the programme drew a large and regular fan mail.· Q: Do you read all your fan mail?· She tells him For Women have been swamped with fan mail and want to do a contemporary shoot.· Q: Do you get fan mail, and do you answer it?· He is happy to receive fan mail at the following address:.· The Barf-O-Rama Web site has generated fan mail from kids eager to share their own gross tales.· He also apologizes for not reading all his fan mail, which requires a staff of five.
· The most important element is, though, the one most often overlooked: the man is obviously a music fan.· All in all, it was a lousy year for music fans.· As the political winds shifted in the early 1990s, newly liberated music fans went for Western idols such as Whitney Houston.· This diversity has enabled the festival to attract celebrity music fans, too.· The song has to be considered at best lame by any music fan exercising normal powers of discretion.· Acoustic and folk music fans are familiar with her 20-year span of live performance and recorded works.· Cool jazz, as it was called, was smart stuff but quite accessible to music fans who knew little about jazz.
· Dear old staid, conservative, non-violent Britain. Soccer fans were its contribution to the global tradition of random violence.· After numerous false starts, attendance figures hint that long-suffering soccer fans might finally have something to be excited about.· After more enquiries, a devout soccer fan gave me a selection to read.· And they were real soccer fans who were really into the game, standing and yelling.· Claimants include families of the 95 soccer fans killed in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster - some expecting cheques this week.
VERB· I open all the windows in my bedroom and turn on the ceiling fan.· Showered, under the ceiling fan in his room at the Coligny, Converse woke to the telephone.· In the first moments of waking, he looks up in puzzlement at the aged ceiling fan revolving above his bed.· Comfort is the reason old-fashioned ceiling fans have been making a comeback, especially during the last decade.· If you have some air-conditioning, ceiling fans can make it feel like you have more.· And if you have central air, ceiling fans can help you use it more efficiently.· In the winter, reversible ceiling fans can help circulate warm air and make furnace use more efficient.· The Del Mar also needed more ceiling insulation, ventilation fans and dozens of new refrigerators and stoves.
· On the proximal arm segment the arm spines meet midradially forming a single fan.· It grows to seven feet, and its flower heads, whitish and forming a fan shape, appear in October.· There are 4-5 smooth arm spines, the proximal ones well separated midradially, not forming a fan.· The arm spines do not form a fan on the proximal joints.· They do not form a fan on proximal arm segments.· There are 7-8 finely rugose and flattened arm spines proximally 5-6 distally; not forming a fan on the proximal arm joints.· In some specimens the arm spines form a fan on the proximal arm segment.
· Eventually, they got to the part of the story where they found Sandoz, and the shit hit the proverbial fan.· And then it hit the fan.· The famous stuff hit the fan.· So the shit really is hitting the fan.· I may have hit the Mel Sterland fan club here.· None of this national resentment will really hit the Marlins fans.· Creed assumed these people had flown as soon as the soft stuff had hit the fan.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1someone who likes a particular sport or performing art very much, or who admires a famous person: - The armchair traveller for whom you are shooting these pictures does not want to visualize paradise under cloud.
- The first figures hint that armchair fans aren't rushing out to buy dishes because of the new football contract.
- The shit really hit the fan when Andy saw the phone bill.
Groups of football fans began heading towards the ground.fan of He’s a big fan of Elvis Presley.fan mail/letters (=letters sent to famous people by their fans)2a)a machine with turning blades that is used to cool the air in a room by moving it around: a ceiling fan b)a flat object that you wave with your hand which makes the air coolerCOLLOCATIONSADJECTIVES/NOUN + fana football/tennis/baseball etc fan· Jack is a keen football fan.a music/jazz/rock etc fan· Jazz fans are in for a treat at this year’s Montreux Jazz Festival.a film/movie fan· This book is a must for all film fans.a Manchester United/Redsox/Colts etc fan· Manchester United fans were delighted with their team’s victory.a Rolling Stones/Kylie Minogue etc fan· Mike has been a lifelong Kylie Minogue fan.a big/huge/massive fan· Elizabeth is a massive fan of Elton John.a devoted fan (=a strong supporter or admirer)· Devoted fans from all over the country have travelled to the concert.a loyal fan (=fans who always support someone)· He will be playing to hundreds of loyal fans on Sunday.adoring fans (=fans who like and admire someone very much)· She’s mobbed by adoring fans wherever she goes.somebody’s number one fan· She told Dave that she was his number one fan.rival/opposing/opposition fans (=fans who support different teams competing against each other)· There were fights between rival fans outside the stadium.home fans (=fans at their own team’s sports field)· The home fans cheered the team onto the pitch.away fans (=fans visiting another team’s sports field)· Two sections of the ground had been allocated to away fans.fan + NOUNfan mail· The group receives lots of fan mail.a fan club· Her fan club has 25,000 members in the UK alone.fan base (=the people who are someone’s biggest fans)· The band has built up a loyal fan base over the years.verbsfans cheer/applaud (somebody/something)· Fans on both sides applauded their skill and spirit.fans boo (somebody/something)· Their own fans booed them off the pitch.fans chant something· England fans chanted his name.disappoint fans· The concert was cancelled, disappointing hundreds of fans.fan1 nounfan2 verb
fanfan2 ●○○ verb [transitive] (past tense and past participle fanned, present participle fanning) VERB TABLE
fan
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | fan |
| he, she, it | fans | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | fanned |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have fanned |
| he, she, it | has fanned | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had fanned |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will fan |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have fanned |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am fanning |
| he, she, it | is fanning | |
| you, we, they | are fanning | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was fanning |
| you, we, they | were fanning | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been fanning |
| he, she, it | has been fanning | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been fanning |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be fanning |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been fanning |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Gina fanned herself with a newspaper.
- If the bird fans its tail and has a shiny black breast color, it's a male.
- Some politicians are deliberately fanning nationalist emotions.
- As they toured the country showing the fruits of seismic tomography, they fanned the flames of interest in this new technique.
- Haverford fanned himself with his panama hat and wheezed like a rusty concertina.
- Having skirted the mire itself without success, the search-party fanned out to cover a wider area, calling Horatia's name.
- I slid down in my bed, my hair fanning out over the headboard like a thick black fringe.
- So they fan off the loose and close down the spaces for the fly-half or blind-side winger.
Longman Language Activatorwhen people go in many directions
: spread northwards/eastwards etc · Refugees have entered the south of the country and are spreading northwards.
if a group of people scatters , everyone suddenly moves in different directions, especially in order to escape from danger: · When a police van drove by, the boys scattered.· At the sound of gunfire, the crowd scattered in all directions.
if a group of people spreads out , each person moves into a position where they are as far from the others as possible: · "Spread out!" the sergeant shouted. "I want the whole area searched."· I'm sure you'd be more comfortable if you spread yourselves out a little.spread out across/through etc: · Members of the tribe are spread out over hundreds of square miles.
if a group of people who are searching for someone or something fans out , they spread themselves across an area in order to make sure that they search the whole area: · The men were told to fan out and begin the search.· Scores of FBI agents fanned out on Monday to interview potential witnesses.
if a group of people split up , they decide not to stay together as a group because they will be able to move faster, find something more easily etc if they are alone or in smaller groups: · The U.N. team split up to inspect several sites in the south of the country.split up into groups/teams/twos etc: · We'd have a much better chance of finding the child if we split up into groups.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY The book will serve to fan the flames of debate.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES Beckham’s devoted fans
The book will serve to fan the flames of debate. (=for people who like a particular team, band, person etc)· I used to be a member of the Take That fan club.
(=someone who likes cricket, especially watching it)
Beckham’s devoted fans (=make them burn more by waving something in front of them)· She used a large piece of card to fan the flames.
(=someone who likes football a lot)· Pat is a keen football fan.
(=letters from fans)· He gets so much fan mail he had to employ a secretary to deal with it.
· There were fights between rival fans after the match.
(=someone who enjoys watching sport)· He was a big sports fan.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· Their efforts were hampered by recent dry weather and moderate winds fanning the flames.· As they toured the country showing the fruits of seismic tomography, they fanned the flames of interest in this new technique.· The work of the modern quantum chemist has helped to fan the flames of this debate.· Widespread fires generate their own wind, which fan the flames into devastating firestorms.· But the fact is that the very lack of evidence seems to fan the flames of suspicion.· Meanwhile, Spong, who fanned the flames of the debate in 1988 when he ordained the Rev.· In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, enlightened despotism, secularism, nationalism and liberalism had all fanned the flames.· That should be enough time to fan the flames of an all-out, old-fashioned quarterback squabble.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► fan something ↔ outPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1to make air move around by waving a fan, piece of paper etc so that you feel coolerfan yourself- David Cottis, London At what point does breeze fan a flame rather than douse it?
- The armchair traveller for whom you are shooting these pictures does not want to visualize paradise under cloud.
- The first figures hint that armchair fans aren't rushing out to buy dishes because of the new football contract.
- The shit really hit the fan when Andy saw the phone bill.
People in the audience were fanning themselves with their programmes.2 literary to make someone feel an emotion more strongly SYN fuel: Her resistance only fanned his desire.fan the flames (of something) The book will serve to fan the flames of debate.3fan a fire/flame etc to make a fire burn more strongly by blowing or moving the air near it: The wind rose, fanning a few sparks in the brush.fan out phrasal verb1if a group of people fan out, they walk forwards while spreading over a wide area2 fan something ↔ out to spread out a group of things that you are holding so that they make a half-circle: Fan the cards out, then pick one.3if something such as hair or clothing fans out, it spreads out in many directions