# pan

/ˈpæn/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/pan
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. cooking vessel

noun · CEFR A2

a metal container, usually with a handle, used for cooking food on a stove.

For teachers: a metal vessel used for culinary purposes, typically shallow and open-topped with a single long handle.

- He fried the eggs in a small pan with a little bit of butter.
- The chef deglazed the pan with white wine to incorporate the browned bits of meat into the sauce.

### 2. harsh criticism

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal

a very negative review of a film, book, or play.

For teachers: a severe or highly negative critical review of a creative work.

- The movie was a total pan, with critics calling it the worst of the year.
- Despite the universal pan from local critics, the play managed to attract a significant audience through word-of-mouth alone.

### 3. geological depression

noun · CEFR B2

a large, flat area of land that is lower than the ground around it.

For teachers: a natural basin or depression in the earth, often containing salt or water.

- The animals gathered at the salt pan to find minerals in the dry earth.
- The vast salt pans of the region become impassable during the brief rainy season when they transform into shallow lakes.

### 4. to move a camera

verb · CEFR B1

to move a camera slowly from one side to the other to follow a person or show a view.

For teachers: to rotate a camera horizontally on a fixed axis to provide a panoramic view or follow a moving subject.

- The camera panned across the crowd to show how many people were there.
- The cinematographer panned slowly from the mountain peak down to the valley floor to establish the scale of the landscape.

### 5. to criticize harshly

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to say very bad things about a new book, movie, or show.

For teachers: to review a creative work or performance with extreme negativity.

- Critics panned the new musical, saying the songs were boring and the acting was poor.
- The director's latest effort was panned by the industry press, effectively ending any hopes for an awards-season campaign.

### 6. to search for gold

verb · CEFR B2

to wash dirt in a pan with water to find small pieces of gold.

For teachers: to wash gold-bearing gravel or earth in a pan to separate the precious metal.

- The old miners spent all day panning for gold in the cold river.
- During the gold rush, thousands of hopeful prospectors panned the riverbeds of the territory in search of a fortune.

### 7. to turn out well

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to result in success or end up being a good thing.

For teachers: to result in a particular outcome, especially a successful one; almost exclusively used in the phrasal form 'pan out'.

- We had a great plan for the business, but things didn't pan out the way we expected.
- Although the initial merger didn't pan out, the two companies eventually found a way to collaborate on specific projects.

Usage: Almost always used as the phrasal verb 'pan out'.

### 8. pansexual

adjective · CEFR C1 · Informal · Slang

a short way of saying pansexual, meaning someone who is attracted to people of all genders.

For teachers: an informal clipping of pansexual or panromantic.

- She describes herself as pan and is very active in the local community.
- The survey allowed respondents to identify as gay, straight, bi, or pan to better reflect modern identities within the student body.

## Examples

- The director uses a slow pan across the city.
- The opening shot is a long, slow pan across the desert landscape at sunrise.
- To capture the full chaos of the battle, the cinematographer executed a series of rapid whip pans, blurring the action between key focal points.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.