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

Instead of blasting strands with heat, this innovative tool gently pulls hair into a wand using reverse airflow, drying and smoothing simultaneously. —Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 18 Dec. 2025

The wand beeped, indicating that the fish carried a tag that Ward or a colleague had inserted into its underside during a previous capture. —Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 15 Dec. 2025

Now, the 10 best LED face masks, patches, and wands for brightening, tightening, and clearing your skin without ever leaving the couch. —Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 12 Dec. 2025

Attendees were required to go through wand checks at the entrance, and all bags were screened. —Conor McGill, CBS News, 6 Dec. 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