fan out
[verb]
Synonyms: open, expand, extend, outspread, outstretch, spread, unfold

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

fan out phrasal verb (see also fan)

1. if a group of people fan out, they walk forwards while spreading over a wide area

2. fan something ↔ out 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.

3. if something such as hair or clothing fans out, it spreads out in many directions

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

fan out
to spread over a wide area.
The police fanned out across the park.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of fan (= a device you open and wave in front of you to cool yourself)

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

fan out
v. phr. To spread in several directions.
The main road fans out at the edge of the forest in four different directions.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲