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

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.

The show uses every trick in the book from fake snow (actually soap suds) raining down on the audience to towering puppets walking in, and acrobats swinging down with a huge arc of water spray fanning out from their feet behind them. —

Caroline Reid, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024 The finished product stands 8 inches tall by 8.5 inches wide when the dark green leaves are fanned out and features five blooming flowers of various sizes. —

Clint Davis, People.com, 4 Nov. 2024 Harris has a vast network of celebrities fanning out to help her: Katy Perry in Pittsburgh; Fat Joe, Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, The Roots and Oprah Winfrey in Philadelphia; Jon Bon Jovi in Detroit; James Taylor in Raleigh; 2 Chainz in Atlanta; and many more. —

Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 4 Nov. 2024 The property sits at the base of the Quill, a 2,000-foot dormant volcano, and fans out over 40 acres sloping down to the Atlantic coast. —

Alev Aktar, Robb Report, 29 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for fan out