philander

[fi-lan-der]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR philander ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

(of a man) to make love with a woman one cannot or will not marry; carry on flirtations.

Origin of philander

1675–85; < 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”

Related formsphi·lan·der·er, noun

Synonyms for philander

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR philander ON THESAURUS.COM

trifle, dally, womanize.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for philandering

womanize, flirt, trifle, dally, wolf

Examples from the Web for philandering

Contemporary Examples of philandering

Given his philandering reputation, it is perhaps unsurprising that there are several people who claim to be his offspring.
Spanish Court To Consider Paternity Claims Against Former King Juan Carlos
Tom Sykes
December 12, 2014
Don returns to his philandering ways, leaving Megan to quietly wonder where her husband has gone.
Every Woman Don Draper’s Hooked Up With on ‘Mad Men’
Amy Zimmerman
April 13, 2014
And French heads of state have a very long record of philandering.
French President’s Love Life Enters the E.R. With His First Lady Hospitalized
Christopher Dickey
January 12, 2014
Her shortlisted novel, Swimming Home, follows a “philandering poet” as he takes a family holiday in the French Riviera.
Literary City: Deborah Levy’s London
Henry Krempels
February 22, 2013
So from sexy vampires to philandering physicians, we count down the most seemingly inappropriate Sesame Street spoofs.
10 Most Inappropriate ‘Sesame Street’ Spoofs (VIDEO)
Kevin Fallon
September 27, 2012

Historical Examples of philandering

The boy was philandering, junketing, somewhere on the Riviera.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
He was completely cured of philandering amongst the lower classes.
The Good Soldier
Ford Madox Ford
I certainly shouldn't, for I don't know what 'philandering' means.
A Phyllis of the Sierras
Bret Harte
We heard you come up the street, and saw you philandering on the front walk.
The Squirrel-Cage
Dorothy Canfield
"No more of this man's philandering after you," he retorted.
The Beth Book
Sarah Grand

British Dictionary definitions for philandering

philander

verb

(intr often foll by with) (of a man) to flirt with women

Derived Formsphilanderer, nounphilandering, noun, adjective

Word Origin for philander

C17: from Greek philandros fond of men, from philos loving + anēr man; used as a name for a lover in literary works

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 philandering

philander

1737, from the noun meaning "a lover" (1700), from Philander, popular name for a lover in stories, drama, and poetry, from Greek adjective philandros "with love for people," perhaps mistaken as meaning "a loving man," from phil- "loving" (see philo-) + andr-, stem of aner "man" (see anthropo-). Related: Philandered; philandering.