fanning (out)

verb

present participle of fan (out)
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)
  1. expanding
  2. radiating
  3. extending
  4. branching
  5. opening
  6. unfolding
Verb
  • The four countries agreed Monday to continue talks on expanding cooperation among them, particularly about regional peace and security, a statement said.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Some brands are expanding their use of advance material and capacity commitments, while delaying final decisions on color, SKU quantities or market allocation.
    — Jessica Binns, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of expanding
Verb
  • Using the Gemini North telescope, Caiazzo and colleagues zoomed in on Pa 30, discovering knots along the strands of gas radiating out from the site of the cosmic explosion, like pearls on a string.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The antenna’s radiating surface would face downward, with a protective cover following the wing’s external contours.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of radiating
Verb
  • Assemblyman Nick Schultz floated the idea of extending the expiration date of the state program, which is currently set to sunset in 2030, as a way of offering greater certainty to productions.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 30 Oct. 2026
  • That makes proposals such as extending the sales tax to more services or taxing retirement income, both of which Pritzker has repeatedly rejected, politically unpalatable.
    — Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of extending
Verb
  • Traced through time, this changing geometry would resemble a pair of trousers, with one section branching into two legs.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
  • There’s a surprising depth here, as well, with branching story missions that have consequences, and higher difficulty modes that punish you more severely for mistakes.
    — Brad Bourque, The Verge, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of branching
Verb
  • New restaurants are opening in the Sacramento region this fall, from a downtown Vietnamese kitchen to a Southern California coffee chain heading to Folsom.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Since there doesn’t appear to be an on-device export function, transferring the track to my PC was as simple as opening Audacity and hitting record while playing a beat on the FM-1.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of opening
Verb
  • The Ohio artist’s first album in four years is paranoid, indulgent, and theatrical, unfolding like a dark romantasy novel.
    — Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz and several commissioners criticized the plan for linking county government with a video game that revels in violence unfolding in a fictional Miami.
    — Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of unfolding
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

fanning
fanning (out)
fanny
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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 1 Nov. 2026.

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