philander
Americanverb (used without object)
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philanders,
present (3rd person singular)
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philandered,
past participle, past
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philandering
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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philandersimple
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philanderssimple
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have philanderedperfect
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has philanderedperfect
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am philanderingprogressive
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are philanderingprogressive
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is philanderingprogressive
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have been philanderingperfect progressive
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has been philanderingperfect progressive
Past
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philanderedsimple
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had philanderedperfect
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was philanderingprogressive
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were philanderingprogressive
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had been philanderingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of philander
First recorded in 1675–85; from Greek phílandros “one who loves” (of a woman, loving her husband); see philo-, andro-; later used in fiction as a proper name for a lover, and apparently mistaken as “a man who loves”
Explanation
To philander is to flirt or casually date a large number of people. If you philander, you don't have one steady, serious relationship, but instead dabble in many casual ones. It's most common to say that a man philanders when he is excessively flirtatious or cheats on his partner with many other people. The word has both a sense of sneakiness and lightheartedness, and it comes from the now-obsolete noun philander, "husband" or "lover." The name Philander, in fact, was popular in 18th century literature for the character of a lover, from the Greek word philandros, "with love for the people."
Vocabulary lists containing philander
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.
See Examples For:
"It says 'accept certain inalienable truths - prices will rise, politicians will philander and you too will get old'."
From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2026
He did not drink or philander; his first marriage ended in an amicable divorce after twelve years, and his second lasted until his death in 1965.
From Time Magazine Archive
“Don’t mean to have any. It’s fun to watch other people philander, but I should feel like a fool doing it myself,” said Jo, looking alarmed at the thought.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
So they philander in the grounds, admiring the plants, and to all appearance deaf to beauty and song.
From The Standard Operaglass Detailed Plots of One Hundred and Fifty-one Celebrated Operas by Annesley, Charles, pseud.
To have thought such a thought of Ursula de Vesc was as preposterous as saying she would philander in a rose garden.
From The Justice of the King by Drummond, Hamilton
I mean that she is clever and very rich, and philanders with philanthropy.
From Hollyhock A Spirit of Mischief by Rainey, W. (William)
Mine uncle, on his bowling-green, Still storms a breach in Flanders; And faithful Trim, starch, tall, and lean, With Bridget still philanders.
From A Selection from the Works of Frederick Locker by Locker-Lampson, Hannah Jane
While the men in the family philandered, Eunice spurned the wooing of her faithful suitor Sargent Shriver for seven years and came close to taking vows of chastity.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 13, 2018
In Paris, Lulu philandered crazily with gamblers, procurers and swindlers.
From Time Magazine Archive
If you had not gone and frightened her, they might have philandered on all this time, till the whole affair died of its own silliness.’
From Hopes and Fears or, scenes from the life of a spinster by Yonge, Charlotte Mary
The collector, in white linen and canvas shoes, philandered with papers on an antique desk.
From Cabbages and Kings by Henry, O.
And it was her fate to sit, with her patient, saintly eyes and figure like a bisque Psyche, behind the sequestered counter of the little shop, while Dicky drank and philandered with his frivolous acquaintances.
From Cabbages and Kings by Henry, O.
Margot, a member of Hollywood society, learned the truth after her philandering husband left a suspicious footprint by his car door.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
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 ● Jul. 5, 2025
Like the power-mongering and philandering Zeus of mythology, they are unhappy when their bad deeds are pointed out.
From Salon ● Jan. 5, 2025
She’d spent years as a lonely, resentful baseball wife wrongly blamed by fans for the breakup of her marriage to a man whose squeaky clean image belied his philandering and emotional bankruptcy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 24, 2024
Would it be bad to date a philandering semi-famous pop star?
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
