philander
Americanverb (used without object)
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
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
By assuring himself of the nobility of faithfulness and of its necessity as a matter of high decency, he vindicated in a measure the fact that he seemed too cowardly to philander.
From Gargoyles by Hecht, Ben
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
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.
You remember how Cecil Cumberland philandered after a certain lady of our acquaintance last winter, and how unremitting were his attentions?
From Princess by McClelland, M. G. (Mary Greenway)
In half an hour he and Aunt Elizabeth had philandered as deep as a six months' flirtation; and I must say that they have kept at it with an art amounting almost to sincerity.
From The Whole Family: a Novel by Twelve Authors by Andrews, Mary Raymond Shipman
The inevitable scandals aren’t about state-sponsored doping schemes but cheating curlers and a philandering biathlete.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 15, 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
Now, she’s finally abandoned her boring job and her philandering husband, Sherman, in Santa Cruz.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 14, 2023
“I am not a philandering man, and you know that. This would not have happened if my mother didn’t have a hand!”
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
