pander

American  

[pan-der] / ˈpæn dər /

verb (used without object)

1. to cater to or profit from the weaknesses or vices of others.

   to pander to the vile tastes of the vulgar masses.

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verb (used with object)

1. to act as a pimp or procurer of clients for (a prostitute).

noun

1. a panderer.

pander British  

/ ˈpændə /

verb

1. to give gratification (to weaknesses or desires)

2. (archaic when tr) to act as a go-between in a sexual intrigue (for)

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noun

1. a person who caters for vulgar desires, esp in order to make money

2. a person who procures a sexual partner for another; pimp

Other Word Forms

• panderage noun
• panderism noun
• panderly adjective

Etymology

Origin of pander

First recorded in 1325–75; earlier pandar(e), generalized use of Middle English name Pandare Pandarus

Example Sentences

But it strikes a false and pandering note, since Tartuffe, as in Molière, has been plainly exposed as an opportunistic, lascivious fraud—and the only one in the play.

From The Wall Street Journal

When someone photographs a drink she made, it’s pride, not pandering.

From Salon

First, good on Mazzulla to straight-up treat the kid as the reporter he clearly is, and answer the question directly, without pandering or turning it into some sort of saccharine after-school special.

From The Wall Street Journal

Left to her own devices by a pandering script, she alone draws the line where loneliness ends and freedom begins, keeping “Die My Love” from plunging completely into its self-made inferno.

From Salon

You don’t pander, and you don’t pretend complexity doesn’t exist.

From MarketWatch