a device for creating a current of air by movement of a surface or surfaces
"She turned on the fan to cool down after running in the hot sun."
an enthusiastic devotee of sports
"The stadium was packed with a fan who had traveled three hours just to see his favorite team play."
A hand-held device consisting of concertinaed material, or slats of material, gathered together at one end, that may be opened out into the shape of a sector of a circle and waved back and forth in order to move air towards oneself and cool oneself.
"The IT specialist explained that they needed to configure a FAN before setting up the cluster's shared storage."
A person who is fond of something or someone, especially an admirer of a performer or aficionado of a sport.
Initialism of file area network.
In plain English: A fan is someone who really likes and follows a particular person, group, or thing.
"The fan waved a large paper sheet to cool herself off on the hot day."
Usage: As a common noun, a fan is an enthusiast or admirer of a specific person, group, or activity. Do not confuse this everyday term with the technical initialism for File Area Network when discussing computer storage systems.
strike out (a batter), (of a pitcher)
"The rookie pitcher managed to fan four batters in a row before finally walking through his first base line."
agitate the air
"The heavy metal fan whirred loudly as it attempted to cool the sweltering room by agitating the stagnant air."
To blow air on (something) by means of a fan (hand-held, mechanical or electrical) or otherwise.
"She used her handheld fan to cool off after running in the hot sun."
In plain English: To fan something means to blow air on it with your hand or a tool to cool it down or make it burn more strongly.
"She used a hand fan to cool herself in the heat."
Usage: Use "fan" as a verb when you actively blow air across something to cool it down or dry it out, such as fanning your face with a hand or using an electric device. Do not use it to describe the wind blowing naturally, which should simply be described as windy or breezy.
A diminutive of Frances.
"During our trip to Fan County in Henan province, we visited several local markets and historical sites near Puyang city."
A county of Puyang, Henan, China.
The word "fan" comes from the Latin vannus, which meant a tool used to winnow grain by blowing away chaff. This concept traveled into Old English and later Middle English before becoming part of modern vocabulary.