fan
/fæn/ (bre, ipa) · /fæn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfan/ (ame, mw)
fan — noun
- fansingular
- fansplural
1. a person who really likes, follows, and supports a particular celebrity, sports
a person who really likes, follows, and supports a particular celebrity, sports team, or activity
Théo has been a devoted soccer fan since he was six years old.
collocation: devoted fan / big fan
Thousands of fans waited outside the hotel hoping to see the singer.
plural form with collective meaning
Lara is a huge fan of the author's first three novels.
The actor thanked his fans for their support over the years.
Kwame travels all over the country to watch his team play every week.
- supporter
stronger on active help and loyalty; a supporter donates or campaigns, while a fan mainly enjoys
- enthusiast
more formal; suggests deep knowledge of a subject rather than emotional attachment
- follower
often used for social media; weaker emotional investment than 'fan'
- critic
someone who judges negatively rather than admires
用法筆記
Often followed by 'of' to name the admired subject (a fan of basketball, a fan of jazz). Adjectives like 'big', 'huge', 'avid', or 'die-hard' are commonly used before the word to show enthusiasm level.
常見錯誤
2. used in the phrase 'not a fan of' to express dislike of someone or something
used in the phrase 'not a fan of' to express dislike of someone or something
Hui is not a fan of spicy food, so she always orders mild dishes.
negative structure: not a fan of [noun]
Gabriel admitted he is not a big fan of early morning meetings.
common modifier: not a big fan of [something]
Meera's parents are not fans of loud music late at night.
The teacher is not a fan of students using phones during class.
- dislike
a neutral verb, less conversational than 'not a fan of'
- not keen on
British English; milder than 'not a fan of'
- like
the simple opposite, though less enthusiastic than 'be a fan of'
文法句型
not a fan of [noun/noun phrase]
用法筆記
Only the negative form 'not a fan of' carries this sense. The positive statement 'I am a fan of…' belongs to sense 1 and simply states admiration.
常見錯誤
3. a machine with spinning blades that moves air around to make a space or person f
a machine with spinning blades that moves air around to make a space or person feel cooler
Rachid turned on the ceiling fan when the room got too stuffy.
common type: ceiling fan
A small desk fan sat beside Nellie's computer, humming softly.
common type: desk fan
The kitchen exhaust fan pulls steam and smoke out through the vent.
Ziad cleaned the dust off the fan blades to keep it running smoothly.
The old fan wobbled when it spun at its highest speed.
- air mover
technical term used in industry, not everyday conversation
- ventilator
more common in medical contexts or for large building systems
用法筆記
Often modified by location or purpose (ceiling fan, desk fan, exhaust fan, tower fan). Can be used with 'turn on/off' or 'switch on/off' as with other electrical appliances.
常見錯誤
❌ 'I turned on the fan to cool the room because the air conditioner is broken.' — this is correct usage, but learners sometimes confuse 'fan' with 'air conditioner'. A fan moves air but does not actively cool or remove heat like an AC.
4. a hand-held item with a broad flat area that you move to stir the surrounding ai
a hand-held item with a broad flat area that you move to stir the surrounding air
Pim opened his folding fan and waved it slowly in the heat.
common type: folding fan
Andrew bought a silk fan painted with cherry blossoms as a souvenir.
Women at the outdoor ceremony used paper fans to protect their faces from the sun.
A hand-painted fan can be both a useful object and a piece of art.
- hand fan
more descriptive, used to distinguish from electric fans
用法筆記
Commonly called a 'hand fan' or 'folding fan' to distinguish it from an electric fan. Often made of paper, silk, bamboo, or plastic.
fan — verb
- fanpresent simple I / you / we / they
- fans3rd person singular
- fanning-ing form
- fannedpast simple
1. to move a fan or another flat object back and forth near your face or body so th
to move a fan or another flat object back and forth near your face or body so that you feel cooler
Baraka fanned himself with a magazine while waiting for the bus.
object: flat object substituting for a fan
Liang sat on the porch and fanned her face with a newspaper.
Paloma fanned the sleeping baby gently to keep her comfortable.
The passengers used their boarding passes to fan themselves on the hot plane.
- waft
less common; implies a gentler, wider motion through the air
文法句型
fan + object
用法筆記
Often used reflexively (fanned himself) or with a body part as the object (fanned her face). Any flat, light object can serve as the tool.
常見錯誤
2. to direct moving air onto a flame or pile of burning material so that it grows l
to direct moving air onto a flame or pile of burning material so that it grows larger and hotter
Nora fanned the campfire until the flames rose high into the dark sky.
object: campfire
Élise used a piece of cardboard to fan the dying embers back to life.
idiomatic: fan embers back to life
The wind fanned the wildfire, spreading it across the dry hills.
Asher knelt down and fanned the small flame until it became a steady fire.
- stoke
focuses on adding fuel rather than air; 'stoke a fire' often uses a poker or more fuel
- douse
to put out a fire with water or by removing air
文法句型
fan + fire/flame
用法筆記
The subject can be a person or the wind itself. Often describes the literal action of reviving a fire, but also appears in the fixed phrase 'fan the flames' (see sense 3).
3. to make unpleasant emotions, arguments, or bad behavior stronger and more intens
to make unpleasant emotions, arguments, or bad behavior stronger and more intense
The politician's speech fanned feelings of anger among the crowd.
figurative: fan + emotion (anger)
Rumors about the layoffs fanned anxiety throughout the company.
figurative: fan + emotion (anxiety)
Christopher worried that his silence would only fan the argument further.
Media reports fanned public fear about the disease even after it was under control.
Niran's careless comment fanned old tensions between the two families.
文法句型
fan + negative emotion/conflict
用法筆記
Only used with negative emotions or conflict — anger, fear, hatred, anxiety, tension, panic. It is NOT used with positive feelings such as joy or love.
常見錯誤
4. to open or spread something so that it takes a wide, curved shape like a hand-he
to open or spread something so that it takes a wide, curved shape like a hand-held fan
Selim fanned the playing cards out across the table so everyone could see them.
transitive: fan + object + out
The peacock fanned its tail feathers in a beautiful display of color.
inanimate subject: peacock
Esteban told the hikers to fan out and search the area for the lost child.
The search party fanned out across the forest, each person taking a different path.
Joon fanned the documents on his desk to find the missing signature page.
- fold
to bring together or close something spread out
文法句型
fan + object + out/wide
fan out (intransitive)
用法筆記
Often used with 'out' (fan out), which can be transitive (fan the cards out) or intransitive (searchers fanned out). Without 'out', it is always transitive (fan the cards, fan the pages).
5. in baseball, to throw pitches that a batter misses three times, resulting in the
in baseball, to throw pitches that a batter misses three times, resulting in the batter being out
The pitcher fanned the first batter on three fastballs down the middle.
baseball transitive: fan + batter
Lee fanned twelve batters in last night's game, setting a new team record.
The rookie pitcher fanned three batters in a row during the final inning.
Min fanned eight batters in a single game for the first time in her career.
- strike out
the standard modern term; 'strike out' can also describe the batter's action (the batter struck out)
文法句型
fan + batter
用法筆記
A baseball-specific term. The subject is always the pitcher; the object is the batter. The more common modern term is 'strike out'. 'Fan' in this sense is mainly used in sports commentary and older baseball writing.