fanning

verb

present participle of fan
1
as in igniting

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in oscillating

Related Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fanning
  1. igniting
  2. oscillating
  3. inflaming
  4. swaying
  5. triggering
  6. waving
  7. kindling
  8. flicking
Verb
  • Napier’s fate was effectively sealed in 2025 when defensive tackle Brendan Bett was penalized and ejected for spitting on a USF player, igniting the Bulls’ game-winning drive.
    — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Aug. 2026
  • However, data show that roads actually tend to increase the risk of fires igniting.
    — Patrick Parenteau, The Conversation, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of igniting
Verb
  • Those include point absorbers, oscillating water columns and attenuators.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The show then veers back to early work, photographic transparencies with magazine transfers made in the late 1960s and early ‘70s, and continues, gallery by gallery, oscillating between different periods of the artist’s nearly six-decade career.
    — Leah Ollman, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of oscillating
Verb
  • This incident continued to come up all season, dividing the group and inflaming the relationship between the Bookos and married couple Janet and Jason Caperna.
    — Kate Aurthur, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026
  • China is increasingly worried about North Korea’s role in creating and intensifying these risks—and about the need to adjust its North Korea strategy to manage them without inflaming tensions and further destabilizing the region.
    — ZHENG JIYONG, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of inflaming
Verb
  • The Daisy Chain crowd could be seen holding up their lights and swaying to the music.
    — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Everyone seemingly watches them — and a little tennis — with a $23 Honey Deuce in one hand, swaying to DJ Trizz’s mixes on the sound system.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of swaying
Verb
  • Parton died after a brief battle with cancer, with her death triggering an outpouring of grief, from fellow Hollywood stars to everyday fans who attended makeshift memorials.
    — Edward Segarra, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
  • But Antonelli is set to start Sunday’s race from the back of the grid as Mercedes plans to fit his car with a fresh engine, triggering a penalty.
    — Luke Smith, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of triggering
Verb
  • Cisneros then began waving the knives and moving toward officers, the commissioner said.
    — Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
  • As officers approached the woman, Tisch said the woman repeatedly threatened to kill them, and began waving the knives at police.
    — Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of waving
Verb
  • This wildfire season was supercharged by heavy rains in January that spurred vegetation growth, which became kindling when the summer heat arrived.
    — Sam McNeil, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Even minor parks or embers might be carried into leaves or grass, kindling a fire that can swiftly expand.
    — CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 14 July 2026
Definition of kindling
Verb
  • The fire had engulfed the garage roof, with flames flicking nearby trees and threatening to spread beyond the garage.
    — Rob Moore, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Playing with the Chromatic is as simple as inserting a cartridge and flicking the power switch.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of flicking
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

fannies
fanning
fanning (out)
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Cite this Entry

“Fanning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fanning. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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