gander

1 of 2

noun (1)

gan·​der ˈgan-dər 

1

: an adult male goose

2

: simpleton

gander

2 of 2

noun (2)

plural ganders

informal

: look, glance

take a gander

Those intrigued by such oddities … will surely find Stuart Kelly's "Book of Lost Books: An Incomplete History of All the Great Books You'll Never Read" worth a gander.

—Joe Queenan

… trying to step back for a good gander at the art in the Guggenheim.

—Charles Taylor

… had no choice but to push to the front of the horde and through some glass doors to get a gander at what was going on.

—Rick Barrs

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• cast
• eye
• glance
• glimpse
• look
• peek
• peep
• regard
• sight
• view

Noun (2)

• airhead
• birdbrain
• blockhead
• bonehead
• bubblehead
• chowderhead
• chucklehead
• clodpoll
• clodpole
• clot [British]
• cluck
• clunk
• cretin
• cuddy [British dialect]
• cuddie
• deadhead
• dim bulb [slang]
• dimwit
• dip
• dodo
• dolt
• donkey
• doofus [slang]
• dope
• dork [slang]
• dullard
• dum-dum
• dumbbell
• dumbhead
• dummkopf
• dummy
• dunce
• dunderhead
• fathead
• golem
• goof
• goon
• half-wit
• hammerhead
• hardhead
• idiot
• ignoramus
• imbecile
• jackass
• know-nothing
• knucklehead
• lamebrain
• loggerhead [chiefly dialect]
• loon
• lump
• lunkhead
• meathead
• mome [archaic]
• moron
• mug [chiefly British]
• mutt
• natural
• nimrod [slang]
• nincompoop
• ninny
• ninnyhammer
• nit [chiefly British]
• nitwit
• noddy
• noodle
• numskull
• numbskull
• oaf
• pinhead
• prat [British]
• ratbag [chiefly Australian]
• saphead
• schlub [slang]
• shlub
• schnook [slang]
• simpleton
• stock
• stupe
• stupid
• thickhead
• turkey
• woodenhead
• yahoo
• yo-yo

Examples of gander in a Sentence

Noun (1)

suggested that they take a gander at the display of classic cars

Noun (2)

the village's chief of police was an ineffectual albeit pleasant gander

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Also, take a gander at the sneakers. —Brian Mazique, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025

Also, take a gander at the sneakers. —Brian Mazique, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025

Also, take a gander at the sneakers. —Brian Mazique, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025

Also, take a gander at the sneakers. —Brian Mazique, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English gandre, gander, going back to Old English gandra, ganra, going back to Germanic *gan-ra- (whence Middle Low German ganre "male goose," Upper German dialect Gander, Ganter), derivative from the base of Germanic *gan-s- "goose" — more at goose entry 1

Noun (2)

probably derivative of gander entry 1, from the goose-like appearance of a person stretching to look at something

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

circa 1914, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing gander

• what's good for the goose is good for the gander
• what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander

Rhymes for gander

• brander
• candor
• dander
• grander
• hander
• laender
• lander
• pander
• sander
• slander
• stander
• zander

Kids Definition

gander

1 of 2 noun

gan·​der ˈgan-dər 

: a male goose

gander

2 of 2 noun

informal

: a look often for judging

take a gander