verb
move outward (Freq. 4)
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The soldiers fanned out
• Syn: ↑diffuse, ↑spread, ↑spread out
• Hypernyms: ↑spread, ↑distribute
• Verb Frames:
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Something ——s
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Somebody ——s something
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Something ——s something
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fan out [phrasal verb]
fan out or fan out (something) or fan (something) out : to spread apart or to cause (something) to spread apart
The police fanned out across the park in search of the suspect.
He fanned out his fingers.
• • •
Main Entry: ↑fan
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ˌfan ˈout | ˌfan sthˈout derived
to spread out or spread sth out over an area
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The police fanned out to surround the house.
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The bird fanned out its tail feathers.
Useful english dictionary. 2012.