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

Fans, media members, coaches, and players all take a gander from time to time to see what former Cowboys are doing. —Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 June 2025

Just scroll down to your hometown and take a gander. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 31 May 2025

If price point is the biggest factor for you, take a gander at our picks for the Best Cheap Laptops for 2025. —Jade Chung-Lee, PC Magazine, 19 May 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