fan out vs distribute

fan out and distribute both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
fan out	No	No	Yes	No
distribute	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, distribute is a hypernym of fan out; that is, distribute is a word with a broader meaning than fan out:

Other hypernyms of fan out include spread.

fan out (verb)	distribute (verb)
move outward	cause to become widely known
	to arrange in a systematic order
	distribute or disperse widely
	cause to be distributed
	administer or bestow, as in small portions
	give to several people
	release
	be mathematically distributive
	be distributed or spread, as in statistical analyses
	spread throughout a given area