A fanboy or fangirl is a very enthusiastic fan who knows everything about a favourite actor, game, brand or series. People say it about themselves with a smile: I'm such a fangirl. In an argument it stings: an Apple fanboy defends the brand whatever it does. Both words are informal; neutrally, fan.
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a fanboy / fangirl; a comic-book fanboy; a fangirl of someone
- He calls himself a fanboy and owns every edition of the game.
- The young fangirl brought a carefully written question for her favourite author.
- The event welcomed fanboys and fangirls who wanted to discuss the story.
What changed
First versionHe is fanboy of the director and has seen every film.
RevisionHe is a fanboy of the director and has seen every film.
When a word describes what someone is like, it's easy to treat it as an adjective and drop the article: he is fanboy. But fanboy is a countable noun, and in the singular it needs a: he is a fanboy of the director. The admired person comes after of.
Fan is the neutral word, with no teasing and no gender. A stan is a fan taken to the extreme, almost obsessed. A fandom is the whole community of fans, not one person.
Your turn
Use the standard link to the admired person: She is a fangirl ___ the actor.
Show the answer
of — Of links the fan to the person she admires: a fangirl of the actor. From talks about origin and doesn't fit here.
Describe a fan you know through one action that gives their passion away. Use fanboy or fangirl.
As a fantasy fanboy, Leo drew a map of every place mentioned in the novel.
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