fan out
phrasal 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
This was to be a way station, not a terminus; after disembarking there, immigrants would be encouraged to fan out, helping to establish Jewish communities throughout the southwestern half of the nation.
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Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Communion for the Crowd 5 hr 11 min ago
As part of the Mass, priests fanned out to the thousands of grieving Catholics around St. Peter's for communion.
—Adam Carlson, People.com, 26 Apr. 2025
Officers and fire rescue officials fanned out in search of the missing girl before finding her body in a pond, police said.
—Tanasia Kenney, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2025
The club’s decision to keep fans out allows police officers who would have attended the game for security to work in the city.
—Steve Earley, Baltimore Sun, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fan out
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Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Communion for the Crowd 5 hr 11 min ago
As part of the Mass, priests fanned out to the thousands of grieving Catholics around St. Peter's for communion.
—Adam Carlson, People.com, 26 Apr. 2025
Officers and fire rescue officials fanned out in search of the missing girl before finding her body in a pond, police said.
—Tanasia Kenney, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2025
The club’s decision to keep fans out allows police officers who would have attended the game for security to work in the city.
—Steve Earley, Baltimore Sun, 10 Apr. 2025
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 8 May. 2025.
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