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fan2 [transitive] past tense and past participle fanned, present participle fanning
1 to make air move around by waving a fan, piece of paper etc so that you feel cooler
2 literary to make someone feel an emotion more strongly [= fuel]: 
Her resistance only fanned his desire.
Her resistance only fanned his desire.3 to make a fire burn more strongly by blowing or moving the air near it : The wind rose, fanning a few sparks in the brush.
fan a fire/flame etc
The wind rose, fanning a few sparks in the brush.fan out
phrasal verb1 if a group of people fan out, they walk forwards while spreading over a wide area
2 to spread out a group of things that you are holding so that they make a half-circle : Fan the cards out, then pick one.
fan something ↔ out
Fan the cards out, then pick one.3 if something such as hair or clothing fans out, it spreads out in many directions
