noun, verb, fanned, fan⋅ning.| 1. | any device for producing a current of air by the movement of a broad surface or a number of such surfaces. |
| 2. | an implement of feathers, leaves, paper, cloth, etc., often in the shape of a long triangle or of a semicircle, for waving lightly in the hand to create a cooling current of air about a person: We sat on the veranda, cooling ourselves with palm-leaf fans. |
| 3. | anything resembling such an implement, as the tail of a bird. |
| 4. | any of various devices consisting essentially of a series of radiating vanes or blades attached to and revolving with a central hublike portion to produce a current of air: ceiling fan; wall fan. |
| 5. | a series of revolving blades supplying air for winnowing or cleaning grain. |
| 6. | Horology. fly 1 (def. 28). |
| 7. | a semicircular decoration of bunting. |
| 8. | Physical Geography. an alluvial fan. |
| 9. | to move or agitate (the air) with or as if with a fan. |
| 10. | to cause air to blow upon, as from a fan; cool or refresh with or as if with a fan: He fanned his face with a newspaper. |
| 11. | to stir to activity with or as if with a fan: to fan a flame; to fan emotions. |
| 12. | (of a breeze, current of air, etc.) to blow upon, as if driven by a fan: A cool breeze fanned the shore. |
| 13. | to spread out like a fan: The dealer fanned the cards. |
| 14. | Informal. to move (oneself) quickly: You'll fan your tail out of here if you know what's good for you. |
| 15. | Agriculture. to winnow, esp. by an artificial current of air. |
| 16. | Baseball. (of a pitcher) to strike out (a batter). |
| 17. | Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S. to punish by spanking; spank: Your mother will fan you good if you break that dish. |
| 18. | to strike, swing, or brush lightly at something. |
| 19. | Western U.S. (chiefly cowboy use ). to slap the flanks of (a horse or other animal) repeatedly with a hat to get it to move or move faster. |
| 20. | to spread out like a fan (often fol. by out): The forest fire fanned out in all directions. |
| 21. | Baseball. (of a batter) to strike out, usually by swinging at and missing the pitch charged as the third strike. |
| 22. | hit the fan, Slang. to become suddenly more awkward, embarrassing, or troublesome: When news of the incident was leaked to the press, everything hit the fan at once. |

verb, flew or, for 11, 19, flied, flown, fly⋅ing, noun, plural flies.| 1. | to move through the air using wings. |
| 2. | to be carried through the air by the wind or any other force or agency: bits of paper flying about. |
| 3. | to float or flutter in the air: flags flying in the breeze. |
| 4. | to travel in an aircraft or spacecraft. |
| 5. | to move suddenly and quickly; start unexpectedly: He flew from the room. |
| 6. | to change rapidly and unexpectedly from one state or position to another: The door flew open. |
| 7. | to flee; escape. |
| 8. | to travel in space: The probe will fly past the planet. |
| 9. | to move or pass swiftly: How time flies! |
| 10. | to move with an aggressive surge: A mother fox will fly at anyone approaching her kits. |
| 11. | Baseball.
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| 12. | Informal. to be acceptable, believable, or feasible: It seemed like a good idea, but it just wouldn't fly. |
| 13. | to make (something) float or move through the air: to fly a kite. |
| 14. | to operate (an aircraft, spacecraft, or the like). |
| 15. | to hoist aloft, as for display, signaling, etc.: to fly a flag. |
| 16. | to operate an aircraft or spacecraft over: to fly the Pacific. |
| 17. | to transport or convey by air: We fly merchandise to Boston. |
| 18. | to escape from; flee: to fly someone's wrath. |
| 19. | Theater.
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| 20. | a strip of material sewn along one edge of a garment opening for concealing buttons, zippers, or other fasteners. |
| 21. | a flap forming the door of a tent. |
| 22. | Also called tent fly. a piece of canvas extending over the ridgepole of a tent and forming an outer roof. |
| 23. | an act of flying; a flight. |
| 24. | the course of a flying object, as a ball. |
| 25. | Baseball. fly ball. |
| 26. | British. a light, covered, public carriage drawn by one horse; hansom; hackney coach. |
| 27. | Machinery. a horizontal arm, weighted at each end, that pivots about the screw of a press so that when the screw is lowered the momentum of the fly will increase the force of the press. |
| 28. | Also called fan. Horology. a regulating device for chime and striking mechanisms, consisting of an arrangement of vanes on a revolving axis. |
| 29. | Printing.
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| 30. | (on a flag)
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| 31. | flies. Also called fly loft. Theater. the space above the stage used chiefly for storing scenery and equipment. |
| 32. | Nautical. a propellerlike device streamed to rotate and transfer information on speed to a mechanical log. |
| 33. | fly out, Baseball, Softball. to be put out by hitting a fly ball that is caught by a player of the opposing team. |
| 34. | fly blind. blind (def. 33). |
| 35. | fly in the face of, to act in defiance of (authority, custom, etc.). Also, fly in the teeth of. |
| 36. | fly off the handle. handle (def. 16). |
| 37. | go fly a kite, Slang.
|
| 38. | let fly,
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| 39. | on the fly,
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fly (flī)
n.
Any of numerous two-winged insects of the order Diptera.
| fang (fāng) Pronunciation Key
A long, pointed tooth in vertebrate animals or a similar structure in spiders, used to seize prey and sometimes to inject venom. The fangs of a poisonous snake, for example, have a hollow groove through which venom flows. |
| fly (flī) Pronunciation Key
Any of numerous insects of the order Diptera, having one pair of wings and large compound eyes. Flies include the houseflies, horseflies, and mosquitoes. See more at dipteran. |
Fan
a winnowing shovel by which grain was thrown up against the wind that it might be cleansed from broken straw and chaff (Isa. 30:24; Jer. 15:7; Matt. 3:12). (See AGRICULTURE.)
FAN
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