Kevin
January 13, 2022
Common Questions

This guide will help you understand the meaning of stan, how to use it, and its origins, synonyms, antonyms, and more to help you use it correctly.

In a world of celebrities and influencers, it can feel easy to leave an impression on the world. Still, you might think few authors, celebrities, or people in general can say they’ve helped create words, given words a new meaning, or added phrases to the English language.

However, in the present day, the creation of new words happens more than we might think. In 202, Merriam-Webster added 455 new words to the dictionary. In 2019, those new words included “stan,” a popular term still used widely online today. But what does stan mean?

What Is the Definition of Stan?

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, stan has more than one meaning. Stan can be both a noun and a verb.

As a noun, a stan is an overly enthusiastic or obsessed fan of a singer/songwriter or other celebrity to an unusual extent.

Examples of stan as a noun include:

I was going to go outside for a minute, but there’s a stan lingering by the entrance.
I started out as a fan, but since that last album, I’ve become a total stan.
BTS doesn’t have a fan base. They have a stan base.

As a verb, the definition of stan is the act of enthusiastic admiration of a particular celebrity, singer, or famous person to the point of being unusual.

Examples of stan as a verb include:

I stan Eminem. He really is a rap god.
You would stan her no matter what she did.
Would you stop stanning for a minute so we can talk about something else?

Additionally, as a verb, stan is used as a slang term to describe being extremely devoted to a fandom. It is often used disparagingly.

What Is the Origin of Stan?

In 2000, American rapper Eminem released his album entitled The Marshall Mathers LP. The album was his third release, and it debuted at number one when it was released and stayed atop the charts for eight consecutive weeks.

Although the album contained several memorable and popular songs, the song “Stan” featuring the artist Dido and her song “Thank You” was the album’s third single and rose to number one in a dozen countries, including the United Kingdom and Germany.

There were 18 tracks on the album, and 19 on the limited edition. The song “Stan” and its music video were nominated for several awards, and it still makes lists as one of Eminem’s signature songs, his best songs, and the greatest songs of all time.

“Stan” is a song about an obsessed fan. Over the course of the lyrics, the character Stanley Mitchell writes several letters to Eminem. At the start, Stan’s letters are traditional, innocuous fan mail. However, as the song goes on, the letters become more intense, obsessive, and concerning.

Eminem as he portrays himself in the song is unaware of his fan Stan’s descent until it is too late for Stan. The song contains violent imagery to emphasize how literal and crazed Stan’s obsession becomes, and the song closes with Eminem realizing that Stan’s unusual fixation resulted in the deaths of Stan and his pregnant girlfriend.

The use of the word stan as a noun came a year later when the rapper Nas on a diss track against the rapper Jay-Z entitled “Ether” rhymed the line, “You a fan, a phony, a fake, a pussy, a Stan.” This was the first recorded instance of stan being used to label any obsessive fan and not just the fan in the original song.

How Did Stan Evolve, and How Do You Use It?

As with most popular phrases or words today, social media platforms contributed to the widespread usage of the word stan as a noun to denote a devoted fan. Twitter users began using the word as a verb to express how much they liked certain celebrities.

As with most niche slang words, stan changed from its negative connotation to a badge of honor for some fans. Specific fandoms adopted the phrase to affectionately refer to themselves. For example, fans of the K-pop group BTS are referred to by themselves and others BTS stans.

It’s interesting that a word like stan can go from the name of the fan in a hit song to a bullying insult to a verb used by people to affectionately or disparagingly describe being an overzealous fan.

The word has grown beyond the song Stan into such a presence that an internet culture called stan culture has developed around it.

What Are the Synonyms for Stan?

Stan is a pretty succinct way of professing love for a particular artist or describing an obsessive fan of a particular artist. Still, there are synonyms for stan that can be used to help capture the same meaning for audiences that may not understand the reference.

Here are some examples of stan synonyms:

Admirer
Fanatic
Groupie
Megafan
Uberfan

What Are the Antonyms for Stan?

Sometimes it’s necessary to find a word that means the opposite of a word to express your opposing feelings precisely. Stans are the ultimate fans with love for a particular artist. Other fans are more ambivalent.

If you are not a stan of the word stan, here are some antonym examples:

Critic
Nonfan
Detractor
Disparager
Enemy

What Are the Past and Present Forms of Stan?

As a verb, stan can be used in the past and present tenses:

Stanned
Stanning
Stans

What Are Examples of Stan?

To understand the meaning of the word stan, it helps to see it used in context:

Beyoncé’s stans are so famous for their overzealous devotion that they’re called the “BeyHive.”
In k-pop circles, BTS fans are known as BTS stans, but the group and their fans call themselves ARMY.
I am stanning Lady Gaga.
As the Game of Thrones returns for its final season, die-hard Westeros stans could hardly contain their excitement.
Justin Bieber’s stans are called Beliebers.

Now you know the meaning of the word stan, its origins, and how to use it in your day-to-day life. We stan a new vocabulary word!

Sources:

Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.