philander

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verb phi·lan·der \ fə-ˈlan-dər \

Definition of philander

philandered; philandering play \fə-ˈlan-d(ə-)riŋ\

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

—

philanderer

play \fə-ˈlan-dər-ər\ noun

See philander defined for kids

Examples of philander in a Sentence

he can't seem to stop philandering, even now that he's on his fifth marriage

Recent Examples of philander from the Web

In the video accompanying the 1998 track, the two singers battle over a philandering lover originally played by Mekhi Phifer.

— erin jensen, USA TODAY, "James Corden, Jeffrey Tambor fight over John Boyega in 'The Boy Is Mine' parody video," 10 Aug. 2017
So why would anyone want to watch a series about a group of philandering, shameless, serially narcissistic people?

— patricia garcia, Vogue, "Friends from College Will Remind You Why You Stopped Calling Those People in the First Place," 14 July 2017
Wortel rightly gives the narrator’s father—vivacious, tearful, lying, philandering, and verbose—

— ben shattuck, New Republic, "Maartje Wortel Has Mastered the Art of the Aphorism," 28 June 2017
Even the party guests have back stories, among them the handsome, philandering doctor (Roland Lane) and his stoic wife (Marlaina Powell), who put him through medical school.

— anita gates, New York Times, "Review: ‘On Strivers Row,’ Where Snobbery Knows No Boundaries," 30 May 2017
One case involved a wealthy doctor's philandering wife who was spending most of her time at their posh resort condo with her young daughter.

— virginia hanlon grohl, Country Living, "Miranda Lambert's Parents Were Private Detectives in the Clinton Impeachment Investigation," 23 May 2017
Burns, a philandering white man with a taste for brawls and a smart tongue, is often—and more than some might like, perhaps—thought to embody that past.

— fergus mcintosh, The New Yorker, "Burns Night in the Age of Brexit and Trump," 30 Jan. 2017
In the 1950s, a philandering Jack L. Warner undercut his brother Harry for control of the family’s Warner Bros. studio, and the two never spoke again.

— laura m. holson, New York Times, "“This is all very Shakespearean, with the family, all the people taking over the kingdom,” said Michael Medavoy, a producer who knows Mr. Redstone. “It’s a tragedy. But my question is, is it a tragic comedy or is it a tragic drama?”," 14 May 2016
Genetic tests of 16 vulture families found no evidence of philandering.

— mary bates, WIRED, "Love Matches: Monogamy in the Animal Kingdom," 10 Feb. 2015

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'philander.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of philander

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1737

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philander Synonyms

Synonyms

cheat, screw around, step out

Related Words

cat (around), fool around, fornicate, play (around), tomcat (around), womanize; copulate, couple, lie, make out, mate, sleep; lust

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philander

Definition of philander

philanderer

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philander

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philanderer

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