Etymology From Stan (“Stanley”), after the song "Stan" by Eminem (2000), a fictitious account of the rapper's encounter with an overly obsessive fan named Stan. Sometimes assumed to be a blend of stalker + fan, but perhaps simply chosen for the rhyme.
1
Internet, Derogatory, Sometimes An extremely obsessive fan of a person, group, character, or creative work, particularly one whose fixation is unhealthy or intrusive.
K-pop stan
I know the in-depth detailed life of a stan because I am one. I'm one of those Lady Gaga fans, […]2011 October 11, Vanessa Spates, “Whether in Britney's Army or Rihanna's Navy, stans need to surrender to sanity”, in The Lantern, volume 132, number 16, Ohio State University, page 9A:
4 more examples
I am the biggest stan for Selena because she is my queen. She made Disney interesting and I have always watched her.2013 March 17, “Selena Gomez: She Is My Queen”, in Sunday Tribune, South Africa:
Incidents have occurred with stans showing up to pop stars' residences, as has happened with Madonna, Taylor Swift and others.2013 December 5, Jake Folsom, “Stans take dedication to extreme heights online, in real life”, in Washington Square News, volume 41, number 104, page 11:
K-pop stans have been getting increasingly involved in American politics in recent months. After the Trump campaign solicited messages for the president’s birthday on June 8, K-pop stans submitted a stream of prank messages.2020 June 21, “TikTok Teens and K-Pop Stans Say They Sank Trump Rally”, in The New York Times:
“Stans will literally go to any extent to defend anyone,” he said of Mr. Depp’s supporters, adding: “Amber Heard, she has not got that fan base.”2022 April 29, Ezra Marcus, “Johnny Depp Case Brings Stan Culture Into the Courtroom”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
Etymology From Stan (“Stanley”), after the song "Stan" by Eminem (2000), a fictitious account of the rapper's encounter with an overly obsessive fan named Stan. Sometimes assumed to be a blend of stalker + fan, but perhaps simply chosen for the rhyme.
1
Slang To act as a stan (for); to be an obsessive fan (of).
We stan a queen.
For quotations using this term, see Citations:stan.
stan
noun
UK /stɑːn/ · US /stæn/
Etymology Back-formation from -stan.
1
Informal A country, often ex-Soviet, whose name ends with -stan, such as Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, or Kazakhstan.
“There are a lot of former Soviet states – a lot of stans.” This is a stan with a plan. Unlike Uzbekistan[…].2015 July 30, Jules Boykoff, “Beijing and Almaty contest Winter Olympics in human rights nightmare”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 29 Sep 2025: