pander

[pan-der]

See more synonyms for pander on Thesaurus.com

noun Also pan·der·er.

a person who furnishes clients for a prostitute or supplies persons for illicit sexual intercourse; procurer; pimp.
a person who caters to or profits from the weaknesses or vices of others.
a go-between in amorous intrigues.

verb (used without object)

to act as a pander; cater basely: to pander to the vile tastes of vulgar persons.

verb (used with object)

to act as a pander for.

Origin of pander

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

Related formspan·der·age, nounpan·der·ing·ly, adverbpan·der·ism, nounpan·der·ly, adjective

Can be confusedpanda pander

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for pander

Contemporary Examples

But if I overdo it and I pander and I put something up just because the Twilight crowd is going to like it, I will get punished.
David Simon Says ‘The Wire’ Wouldn’t Survive on TV Today
Alex Suskind
April 25, 2014
All Ham had to do was sit still for two-and-a-half hours, sound vaguely professional, and pander occasionally to his base.
The Bill Nye-Ken Ham Debate Was a Nightmare for Science
Michael Schulson
February 5, 2014
And no one is confusing Obama with Bill Clinton, who knew how to maneuver—or, if one prefers, how to pander.
The Sprawling, Dimming Age of Obama
Lloyd Green
June 30, 2013
The pander itself is a depressing, if familiar, window into conservative Republican thought on the Middle East.
Romney's Worldview And Palestinian Statehood
Ali Gharib
September 18, 2012
Democrats could use a sunny day as an excuse to destroy the free market, redistribute income and pander to lobbyists.
Coulter: Ok For Me, Not For You
David Frum
August 10, 2012

Historical Examples

But, sir, surely you would not pander to a scoundrelly taste?
Lavengro
George Borrow
But we for our part shall not pander either to the force-worshippers or to the masses.
The New Society
Walther Rathenau
Does he not pander to my every fancy, and procure me whatever I momentarily desire?
Man and Maid
Elinor Glyn
The world,” said Sara, “in the long run, despises those who pander to it.
Robert Orange
John Oliver Hobbes
But art should not seek to pander to our ignorance; art should represent only truths.
Zanoni
Edward Bulwer Lytton

British Dictionary definitions for pander

pander

verb

(intr foll by to) to give gratification (to weaknesses or desires)
(archaic when tr) to act as a go-between in a sexual intrigue (for)

noun Also: panderer

a person who caters for vulgar desires, esp in order to make money
a person who procures a sexual partner for another; pimp

Word Origin

C16 (n): from Pandare Pandarus

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for pander

n.

"arranger of sexual liaisons, one who supplies another with the means of gratifying lust," 1520s, "procurer, pimp," from Middle English Pandare (late 14c.), used by Chaucer ("Troylus and Cryseyde"), who borrowed it from Boccaccio (who had it in Italian form Pandaro in "Filostrato") as name of the prince (Greek Pandaros), who procured the love of Cressida (his niece in Chaucer, his cousin in Boccaccio) for Troilus. The story and the name are medieval inventions. Spelling influenced by agent suffix -er.

v.

"to indulge (another), to minister to base passions," c.1600, from pander (n.). Related: Pandered; pandering.

pander in Medicine

Pander

(pän′dər)Christian Heinrich 1794-1865

Russian-born German anatomist and pioneer embryologist. With Karl Ernst von Baer he discovered the distinct structural layers of the chick embryo.

pander

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Examples from the Web for pander

Contemporary Examples

But if I overdo it and I pander and I put something up just because the Twilight crowd is going to like it, I will get punished.

All Ham had to do was sit still for two-and-a-half hours, sound vaguely professional, and pander occasionally to his base.

And no one is confusing Obama with Bill Clinton, who knew how to maneuver—or, if one prefers, how to pander.

The pander itself is a depressing, if familiar, window into conservative Republican thought on the Middle East.

Democrats could use a sunny day as an excuse to destroy the free market, redistribute income and pander to lobbyists.

Historical Examples

But, sir, surely you would not pander to a scoundrelly taste?

But we for our part shall not pander either to the force-worshippers or to the masses.

Does he not pander to my every fancy, and procure me whatever I momentarily desire?

The world,” said Sara, “in the long run, despises those who pander to it.

But art should not seek to pander to our ignorance; art should represent only truths.

pander

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for pander

n.

v.

Pander

Origin of pander