pan
[noun]
Synonyms:
- pot, container, saucepan
[verb]
Synonyms:
- sift out, look for, search for
- criticize, censure, knock (informal), slam (slang), tear into (informal)
————————
(Informal)
[verb]
move, follow, sweep, track

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English Thesaurus: criticize, be critical of somebody/something, attack, lay into somebody/tear into somebody, tear somebody/something to shreds, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. Pan
in Greek mythology, the god of fields, forests, and shepherds. Pan is usually shown in pictures as a man with a goat’s horns, ears and legs, playing the panpipes. He is also known for his strong sexual desire.

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II. Pan, Peter
⇒ Peter Pan

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

I. pan¹ S3 W3 /pæn/ noun [countable]
[Language: Old English; Origin: panne]

1. FOR COOKING a round metal container that you use for cooking, usually with one long handle and a lid Synonym : saucepan:
a frying pan
pots and pans
Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling water.

2. FOR BAKING CAKES ETC American English a metal container for baking things in Synonym : tin British English:
a cake pan

3. OPEN CONTAINER American English a wide, usually round, open container with low sides, used for holding liquids

4. TOILET British English the bowl of a toilet

5. go down the pan British English informal to be wasted or become useless or ruined:
The business is rapidly going down the pan.
⇒ warming pan, ⇒ a flash in the pan at flash²(5)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. pan² verb (past tense and past participle panned, present participle panning)
[Sense 1,3: Date: 1800-1900; Origin: ⇒ pan¹]
[Sense 2: Date: 1900-2000; Origin: panorama]

1. CRITICIZE [transitive] informal to strongly criticize a film, play etc in a newspaper or on television or radio:
The movie was panned by the critics.

2. CAMERA
a) [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] if a film or television camera pans in a particular direction, it moves in that direction and follows the thing that is being filmed:
The camera panned slowly across the crowd.
b) [intransitive and transitive] to move a camera in this way

3. GOLD [intransitive and transitive] to wash soil in a metal container in order to separate gold from other substances
pan for
panning for gold in Alaska
pan out phrasal verb
to happen or develop in a particular way:
We’ll have to see how things pan out.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

pan- , Pan- /pæn/ prefix
[Language: Greek; Origin: pan 'all, every']
including all people:
pan-African unity

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

pan
noun
ADJ. chip, frying
PHRASES pots and pans
 ⇒ See SAUCEPAN (for other collocates of pan)

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

criticize to say what you think is bad about someone or something:
He was criticized for not being tough enough with the terrorists.
Stop criticizing my friends!
It’s easy to criticize, but not so easy to offer helpful solutions.
be critical of somebody/something to criticize someone or something, especially by giving detailed reasons for this:
The report was highly critical of the police investigation.
The press have been critical of his leadership style.
attack to criticize someone or something very strongly, especially publicly in the newspapers, on TV etc:
They attacked the government’s decision to undertake nuclear weapons tests.
lay into somebody/tear into somebody to criticize someone very strongly for something they have done, especially by shouting at them:
He started laying into one of his staff for being late.
tear somebody/something to shreds to find a lot of things wrong with someone’s arguments or ideas and make them seem very weak:
The prosecution will tear him to shreds.
pan to strongly criticize a film, play etc in the newspapers, on TV etc:
Her first movie was panned by the critics.
be pilloried especially written to be strongly criticized by a lot of people in the newspapers, on TV etc:
He was pilloried in the right-wing press.
condemn to say very strongly in public that you do not approve of something or someone, especially because you think they are morally wrong:
Politicians were quick to condemn the bombing.
find fault with somebody/something to criticize things that you think are wrong with something, especially small and unimportant things:
He’s quick to find fault with other people’s work.
pick holes in something informal to criticize something by finding many small faults in it, in a way that seems unreasonable and unfair:
Why are you always picking holes in my work?
knock to criticize someone or something, in an unfair and unreasonable way:
I know it’s fashionable to knock Tony Blair, but I think he did a good job.
slag off British English informal to criticize someone in an unfair and unpleasant way:
He’s always slagging you off behind your back.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

pan
pæn
See: flash in the pan , out of the prying pan into the fire

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

P.A.N.
Premium advice note

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