philander
verb
phi·lan·der
fə-ˈlan-dər 
philandered; philandering
fə-ˈlan-d(ə-)riŋ
: to have casual or illicit sex with a person or with many people
especially
: to be sexually unfaithful to one's spouse
—usually used of a man
… her philandering brother-in-law; and … the schoolteacher he philanders with. —
Judith Crist
Judith Crist 
Examples of philander in a Sentence
he can't seem to stop philandering, even now that he's on his fifth marriage
Recent Examples on the Web
There’s the charming, philandering bartender Romeo and his sharp, suffering wife Teresa, not Balzanos but family enough to manage the bar during Sunny’s boyhood.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2024
In portraying Clarice, who forgoes a career as a classical pianist to raise a family with her philandering husband, Richmond (Russell Hornsby), Aduba learned a valuable lesson.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Aug. 2024
Columnist — and birder — Ted Johnson shares the story of the philandering backyard blue jay who delivered a lesson on life.
—Drew Goins, Washington Post, 31 July 2024
The Swans Fashion: Babe Paley’s Queen Bee Elegance Photo: Courtesy of FX
Before marrying the chronically philandering head of CBS, Bill Paley (Treat Williams), in 1947, Babe Cushing worked as a Vogue editor.
—Fawnia Soo Hoo, refinery29.com, 31 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for philander 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2024
In portraying Clarice, who forgoes a career as a classical pianist to raise a family with her philandering husband, Richmond (Russell Hornsby), Aduba learned a valuable lesson.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Aug. 2024
Columnist — and birder — Ted Johnson shares the story of the philandering backyard blue jay who delivered a lesson on life.
—Drew Goins, Washington Post, 31 July 2024
The Swans Fashion: Babe Paley’s Queen Bee Elegance Photo: Courtesy of FX
Before marrying the chronically philandering head of CBS, Bill Paley (Treat Williams), in 1947, Babe Cushing worked as a Vogue editor.
—Fawnia Soo Hoo, refinery29.com, 31 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for philander
Dictionary Entries Near philander
Cite this Entry
“Philander.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/philander. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
philander
verb
phi·lan·der
fə-ˈlan-dər
philandered; philandering
-d(ə-)riŋ
: to be sexually unfaithful to one's wife
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share