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

Did you know?

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
These places were sometimes the most compelling, because their food was catering to their own, not the least bit interested in pandering to my particular palate. Tim Carman, Washington Post, 23 Jan. 2024 Such pandering to social comparisons can have negative overall consequences. Rajshree Agarwal, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 Prosecutors charged him on Jan. 16 with pimping and pandering by encouraging, both felonies. Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2024 Such a candidate might be seen as pandering, or out of touch with reality. Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2024 Haley accused DeSantis of pandering to Donald Trump’s electorate by raising doubts about aid to Ukraine. Alan Cullison, WSJ, 11 Jan. 2024 Still, American studios would be unwise to pander to Chinese audiences any time soon. Patrick Frater, Variety, 21 Dec. 2023 American Fiction won the Audience Prize at the Toronto Film Festival because attendees rewarded themselves for recognizing its racial-identity theme and its jokes about publishing-industry practices that have been ruined by social-justice pandering no matter how obtuse the satire. Armond White, National Review, 19 Jan. 2024 Even with the liquor industry put in its place, there still will be many special interests for legislators to pander to and seek campaign donations from. Chris Powell, Hartford Courant, 2 Jan. 2024
Noun
By the 1990s, the National Front was using the language of protectionism to pander to discontented workers. Elisabeth Zerofsky, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Still, the country’s slide away from white majorities is coming, but until Republicans have to deal with that reality at the ballot box, there’s no real incentive to do more than pander to voters of color. Philip Elliott, TIME, 5 Oct. 2023 Yet both are so smart and complex in their own ways, refusing to talk down to its audience and pander to the lowest common denominator. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 22 July 2023 Developers have good reason to pander to tenants who are willing and able to shell out money to be treated as if every day were first-year orientation. Curbed, 9 Mar. 2023 It’s been pander, pander, pander, even when the base is rioting upon and defacing the main temple of our democracy (with two or three honorable exceptions). Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 28 Nov. 2022 Wall Street wants Gen Z Citadel is leading the way in Wall Street’s attempt to pander and appeal to Gen Z in light of cut bonuses and layoffs. Chloe Berger, Fortune, 28 June 2023 In Mod’s hands, Shruti never panders for pity or respect either from audiences or from Whishaw’s Adam, never makes Shruti come across as a victim or as a naive dilettante. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 June 2023 Let other film festivals fret about the future of the movie business and pander to the all-powerful streamers. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Apr. 2023

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 28 Mar. 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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