wand

noun

ˈwänd 

1

: a slender staff carried in a procession : verge

2

: a slender rod used by conjurers and magicians

3

: a slat six feet by two inches used as a target in archery

also : a narrow strip of paper pasted vertically on a target face

4

: any of various pipelike devices

especially : the rigid tube between the hose and the nozzle of a vacuum cleaner

5

: a handheld device used to enter information (as from a bar code) into a computer

Examples of wand in a Sentence

The cashier used a wand to scan the bar code.

Recent Examples on the Web

After clearing the electromagnetic wands of security outside of the West Broadway boutique, upward of 80 people mingled during the cocktail party. —Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025

The force of that expansion is strong enough to break steel pipes, split open watering wands, hose fittings, and anything else with water trapped in it, such as water features or hose timers. —Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Oct. 2025

Carruth often begins with a small image, such as a fallen pearl or a misplaced wand, and lets the story unspool from emotion. —William Jones, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025

But the Wolves turned the ball over on nearly 15% of their possessions throughout the season, 11th most in the NBA — not something a team can fix with the wave of a wand. —Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 22 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, slender stick, from Old Norse vǫndr; probably akin to Old English windan to wind, twist — more at wind entry 3

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing wand

• magic wand

Rhymes for wand

• awned
• blond
• blonde
• bond
• conned
• dawned
• donned
• fond
• frond
• gond
• maund
• pawned

Kids Definition

wand

noun

ˈwänd 

1

: a slender rod used in performing magic

2

: a light rod or tube