philander
Americanverb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
- philanderer noun
- philandering noun
Etymology
Origin of philander
First recorded in 1675–85; from Greek phílandros “one who loves” (of a woman, loving her husband); philo-, andro-; later used in fiction as a proper name for a lover, and apparently mistaken as “a man who loves”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One forthcoming spectator confessed to being burdened with anger over her father’s philandering.
From Los Angeles Times
The film delved into the loneliness of a woman trapped in a loveless marriage to a philandering, often tyrannical landlord in an opulent yet feudal world.
From BBC
Like the power-mongering and philandering Zeus of mythology, they are unhappy when their bad deeds are pointed out.
From Salon
Josh, what was that like working alongside so much talent while playing Douglas Dellacorte, a philandering husband who always seems on the brink of ruin?
From Los Angeles Times
She remained loyal to him to the bitter end — despite the fact “La Côte Basque” included embarrassing details about a woman named “Jane Baxter” whose doomed marriage to a philandering comedian clearly resembled her own.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
