noun
plural fans
[count] :a machine or device that is used to move the air and make people or things cooler: such as
a flat device that is held in your hand and waved back and forth in front of your face
an electrical machine that has turning blades
hit the fan
informal :to cause a lot of anger and trouble - used especially to describe what happens when people find out about something that makes them very angry
verb
fans; fanned; fanning
[+ obj] :to move air on or toward (someone or something) with a fan
To fan a fire is literally to blow air onto a fire so that it will burn more strongly. In figurative use the phrase fan the fires/flames means to make an emotional situation more dangerous, so that people become angrier and more likely to act in a violent way.
baseball informal :to strike out [+ obj]
fan out
[phrasal verb]
fan out or fan out (something) or fan (something) out :to spread apart or to cause (something) to spread apart
noun
plural fans
[count] :a person who likes and admires someone (such as a famous person) or something (such as a sport or a sports team) in a very enthusiastic way
US