wand
Americannoun
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a slender stick or rod, especially one used by a magician, conjurer, or diviner.
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a rod or staff carried as an emblem of one's office or authority.
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a slender shoot, stem, or branch of a shrub or tree.
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a small applicator for cosmetics, usually having a brush at the tip.
She applied the mascara with a wand.
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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.
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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
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a slender supple stick or twig
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a thin rod carried as a symbol of authority
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a rod used by a magician, water diviner, etc
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informal a conductor's baton
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archery a marker used to show the distance at which the archer stands from the target
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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
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.
You can’t wave a magic wand and get it done.
From Salon • May 1, 2026
The good and bad news is there’s no magic wand, as that means the answers are accessible to you too.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 29, 2026
"We are bending backwards to help but we don't have a magic wand," she said, calling on African governments to help with tax breaks and investments of their own.
From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026
A montage shows Harry arriving at the magical school, receiving his wand and Nimbus broom and meeting his new classmates, including Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026
“Anapneo,” said Slughorn calmly, pointing his wand at Belby, whose airway seemed to clear at once.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" 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.
