fanning
Waving for coolness
Fanning is waving something back and forth to create a breeze or spread air: She was fanning herself with a magazine.
Fire can be fanned to make it burn hotter.
Figuratively, to fan is to intensify: fanning the flames of controversy.
In baseball, fanning means striking out: He's been fanning a lot this season.
Light, gentle air movement
- waftDrift on air
- airflowMovement of atmosphere
- ventilationCirculation of fresh air
- circulationMovement through a system
draft · oscillation · palm-leaf · punkah · blowing · refreshing · sweltering · humid
Material for starting fires
- stokingFeeding a fire
- embersSmoldering fire remnants
- fireCombustion with flames
- blazeIntense burning fire
combustion · sparks · ignition · bellows · coals · smoldering · heat · burning
Urging others to act
- stokingFeeding a fire
- inflamingArousing strong emotion
- provokingCausing a reaction
- stirringArousing strong emotion
fueling · escalating · tensions · unrest · discontent · ferment · instigation · rousing
breeze
Light, gentle air movement
- waftDrift on air
- airflowMovement of atmosphere
- ventilationCirculation of fresh air
circulation · draft · oscillation · palm-leaf · punkah · blowing · refreshing · sweltering · humid · relief
kindling
Material for starting fires
blaze · combustion · sparks · ignition · bellows · coals · smoldering · heat · burning · flaring
inciting
Urging others to act
stirring · fueling · escalating · tensions · unrest · discontent · ferment · instigation · rousing · enflaming
dispersing
Spreading widely apart
- radiatingSending out from center
- splayingExtending outward awkwardly
- unfoldingGradually becoming apparent
opening · diverging · arranging · cards · peacock · tail · feathers · display · array · arc
- cooling actionsfreezing, chilling, refrigerating, icing, ventilating
- colony behaviorswarming, foraging, division of labor, caste system, food storage
- repetitive motionsswaying, rocking, bobbing, swinging, bouncing
- combustionburning, flames, fire triangle, ignition source, oxygen
- book damagewater damage, torn pages, loose pages, cracked spine, broken spine
- platingplating, garnish, garnishing, presentation, microgreens
fanningstilling
Making something cease moving
smothering · blocking · shielding · stifling · enclosing
fanningextinguishing
Causing to stop burning
defusing · quenching · smothering · suppressing · dampening
fanningconverging
Moving toward sameness
gathering · concentrating · condensing · collecting · consolidating
- fanning the flamesWorsening a volatile situation
- fanning the fireIncreasing combustion with air
- fanning outSpreading from center outward
- Dakota Fanning
- Elle Fanning
fan, fans, fanned, ceiling fan, fanlike, fanner, exhaust fans, ceiling fans, hand fan