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

There, the cast also took time to help Thomas learn the wand dance that is seen on stage, which is supposed to show how the new students at the magical school are learning how to operate their wands. —Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026

Upgrade your watering system with this nozzle set that features two multi-pattern nozzles and a 19- to 24-inch telescoping wand. —Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 23 Apr. 2026

There are those, with good reason, who believe the Big East needs to expand to keep up, but a commissioner cannot wave a wand and make that happen, as Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark has learned in his quest to add UConn. —Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2026

L’Oréal also recently got into the hair tech game with the Colorsonic hair-dye wand, plus its own AirLight Pro hair dryer and Light Straight flat iron. —Victoria Song, The Verge, 21 Apr. 2026

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