pander

1 of 2

verb

pan·​der ˈpan-dər How to pronounce pander (audio)
pandered; pandering ˈpan-d(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce pander (audio)

intransitive verb

: to act as a pander
especially : to provide gratification for others' desires
films that pander to the basest emotions
… used his brilliant gifts to pander to popular taste. Hubert Saal
panderer noun

pander

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: a go-between in love intrigues
b
: pimp
2
: someone who caters to or exploits the weaknesses of others

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Distinctive Meanings of Procure

Procure, like many other English words, has a split personality. On the one hand, it may carry a perfectly benign meaning, such as "to obtain" (“she procured supplies”) or "to bring about" (“the settlement was successfully procured”). On the other hand, it has long been used in the specific sense of obtaining someone for, or bringing about, sexually promiscuous purposes. In this regard it is similar to the word pander, which entered the English language with the innocent meaning “a go-between in love intrigues” (the word comes from the name Pandare, a character in Chaucer’s poem Troilus and Criseyde who facilitates the affair between the titular characters), and soon after took on the meaning “pimp.”

Examples of pander in a Sentence

Noun an arrest record that revealed that he had variously been a pander, a pickpocket, and a drug dealer
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Spina, who has a background in fine arts, seems to be cooking for his own enjoyment, rather than trying to pander to yours and mine. Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2024 As videos circulated of the speech, her critics accused her of using linguistic pandering and being inauthentic. Theara Coleman, theweek, 11 Sep. 2024
Noun
The Substance devolves into a senseless jumble of body horror that panders to its audience rather than challenging it. Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 20 Sep. 2024 Smartest, fastest Responding to the plan Biden laid out in an op-ed, Ramesh Ponnuru writes that term limits for Supreme Court justices are an unconstitutional pander. Drew Goins, Washington Post, 30 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for pander 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pander.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

derivative of pander entry 2

Noun

Middle English Pandare pandarus

First Known Use

Verb

1523, in the meaning defined above

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of pander was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near pander

Cite this Entry

“Pander.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pander. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

pander

noun
pan·​der
ˈpan-dər
variants or panderer
-dər-ər
: one who takes advantage of or profits from the weaknesses and mean desires of others
pander verb

Legal Definition

pander

1 of 2 transitive verb
pan·​der ˈpan-dər How to pronounce pander (audio)
: to sell or distribute by pandering
had no protected right to pander prurient materialsDunigan Enterprises v. DA for the Northern District, 415 N.E.2d 251 (1981)

intransitive verb

: to engage in pandering
counts included…conspiracy to pander and receive the earnings of a prostituteState v. Tocco, 750 P.2d 874 (1988)

pander

2 of 2 noun
: one who engages in pandering : panderer
Etymology

Noun

Middle English Pandare, character who procured for Troilus the love of Cressida in Troilus and Creseyde, poem by Geoffrey Chaucer (ca. 1342–1400)

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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