wand
Americannoun
-
wands
plural
-
a slender stick or rod, especially one used by a magician, conjurer, or diviner.
-
a rod or staff carried as an emblem of one's office or authority.
-
a slender shoot, stem, or branch of a shrub or tree.
-
a small applicator for cosmetics, usually having a brush at the tip.
She applied the mascara with a wand.
-
U.S. Archery. a slat 6 feet (183 centimeters) by 2 inches (5 centimeters) placed at a distance of 100 yards (91 meters) for men and 60 yards (55 meters) for women, and used as a target.
-
Also called wand reader. an electronic device, in the form of a handheld rod, that can optically read coded data, as on a merchandise label or tag or the page of a book.
noun
-
a slender supple stick or twig
-
a thin rod carried as a symbol of authority
-
a rod used by a magician, water diviner, etc
-
informal a conductor's baton
-
archery a marker used to show the distance at which the archer stands from the target
-
a hand-held electronic device, such as a light pen or bar-code reader, which is pointed at or passed over an item to read the data stored there
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of wand
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English, from Old Norse vǫndr; cognate with Gothic wandus
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:
First, Smith melts fat and tightens deeper tissue using Vaser, an ultrasonic wand inserted into the arm via a small incision.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Sahm warned such a move was "not a magic wand and it is a costly medicine."
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
Recent requests have included Mexican peso designs, medallions and a glittery wand for a Sweet 16 gift.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026
“Everyone, repeat after me!” the Hufflepuff called, wand pointed at the creature.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Most folks think we full of nonsense till we get ’em a wand, and it show ’em things they never seen.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
Sales of Korean beauty devices, from micro-current wands to red-light masks, are also booming.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
He watched a group of students as they dipped wands into a bucket of soap and raised them to the breeze.
From Slate ● Oct. 30, 2025
Sadly, however, one of Harris’ most famous additions did not survive the owners’ renovations: his “Magic Man Cave,” where he stored his top hats and wands and performed magic tricks.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2025
The boss of one the UK's largest providers of metal detectors says sales to schools of knife arches and handheld wands have risen.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2025
A flash of blue-white light erupted from both wands; for a moment, Scabbers was frozen in midair, his small gray form twisting madly — Ron yelled — the rat fell and hit the floor.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
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.
