philander

verb

phi·​lan·​der fə-ˈlan-dər How to pronounce philander (audio)
philandered; philandering fə-ˈlan-d(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce philander (audio)

intransitive verb

: to have casual or illicit sex with a person or with many people
especially : to be sexually unfaithful to one's spouse
usually used of a man
… her philandering brother-in-law; and … the schoolteacher he philanders with. Judith Crist

Examples of philander in a Sentence

he can't seem to stop philandering, even now that he's on his fifth marriage
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In portraying Clarice, who forgoes a career as a classical pianist to raise a family with her philandering husband, Richmond (Russell Hornsby), Aduba learned a valuable lesson. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Aug. 2024 Columnist — and birder — Ted Johnson shares the story of the philandering backyard blue jay who delivered a lesson on life. Drew Goins, Washington Post, 31 July 2024 The Swans Fashion: Babe Paley’s Queen Bee Elegance Photo: Courtesy of FX Before marrying the chronically philandering head of CBS, Bill Paley (Treat Williams), in 1947, Babe Cushing worked as a Vogue editor. Fawnia Soo Hoo, refinery29.com, 31 Jan. 2024 Maxine’s allies are a gay pool boy (Ricky Martin), her (philandering) airline pilot husband (Josh Lucas) and his aunt, who at one point pushes her off a yacht in the middle of the ocean. Jordan Riefe, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for philander 

Word History

Etymology

from obsolete philander lover, philanderer, probably from the name Philander

First Known Use

1737, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of philander was in 1737

Dictionary Entries Near philander

Cite this Entry

“Philander.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/philander. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

philander

verb
phi·​lan·​der fə-ˈlan-dər How to pronounce philander (audio)
philandered; philandering -d(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce philander (audio)
: to be sexually unfaithful to one's wife
philanderer noun

More from Merriam-Webster on philander

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!