wilder
verb (used with object)
to cause to lose one's way.
wilder
1 American
[wil-der]
/ ˈwɪl dər /
verb (used with object)
-
to cause to lose one's way.
-
to bewilder.
verb (used without object)
-
to lose one's way.
-
to be bewildered.
wilder
2
American
[wahyl-der]
/ ˈwaɪl dər /
adjective
Wilder
3
American
[wahyl-der]
/ ˈwaɪl dər /
noun
-
Billy Samuel Wilder, 1906–2002, U.S. film director, producer, and writer; born in Austria.
-
Laura Ingalls 1867–1957, U.S. writer of children's books.
-
Thornton (Niven) 1897–1975, U.S. novelist and playwright.
Wilder
1
British
/ ˈwaɪldə /
noun
-
Billy, real name Samuel Wilder. 1906–2002, US film director and screenwriter, born in Austria. His films include Double Indemnity (1944), The Lost Weekend (1945), Sunset Boulevard (1950), The Seven Year Itch (1955), Some Like it Hot (1959), The Apartment (1960), and Buddy Buddy (1981)
-
Thornton. 1897–1975 US novelist and dramatist. His works include the novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1927) and the play The Skin of Our Teeth (1942)
wilder
2
British
/ ˈwɪldə /
verb
-
to lead or be led astray
-
to bewilder or become bewildered
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of wilder
First recorded in 1605–15; perhaps extracted from wilderness; intransitive use probably by association with wander
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 know him as the actor Gene Wilder.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
I said, “Billy Wilder sat down and made that up based on what he observed.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
The Chinese, Wilder observed, have never been easy on foreign journalists.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026
So Dennis Wilder, then the senior director for East Asian affairs at the National Security Council, had an idea.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026
Wilder talked mechanically, not hearing his words, thinking only of Williamson running down the hill and climbing back to tell what he had found.
From "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury
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.
