pandered; pandering
ˈpan-d(ə-)riŋ 
; panders
; panders
1
: to say, do, or provide what someone (such as an audience) wants or demands even though it is not good, proper, reasonable, etc.
… ignores doing the right thing … in favor of pandering for votes.—
George Ochenski
George Ochenski… used his brilliant gifts to pander to popular taste.—Hubert Saal
Hubert Saal… TV that panders to the worst in us.—Jill Parkin
Jill Parkin… a political chameleon trying to pander to voters …—Cameron Smith
Cameron Smith2
: to act as a pander (see pander entry 2 sense 2)
plural panders
1
a
: the act or an instance of pandering (see pander entry 1 sense 1)
Calling congressional leaders babies … is a pander to public opinion rather than an attempt to inform or lead it.—Josh Benson
Josh Benson… is among the worst films of the year, a shameless pander for awards recognition …—Jason Bailey
Jason Bailey
b
: someone who panders (see pander entry 1 sense 1)
… his primary goal is self promotion. He is a political pander.—Allison Hoffman
Allison Hoffman2
a
: a go-between in love intrigues
b
: pimp
Examples of pander in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 6 June 2025
Often, the films have a weird, pandering (and thus contemptuous) vibe.
—Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 24 May 2025
Ahead of the June primary and in the months and years to come, an energized and emboldened rider movement will keep shifting the transit policy arc away from pandering politicians who exploit our fears but neglect our needs.
—Betsy Plum, New York Daily News, 19 May 2025
The Biden-Harris administration targeted concerned parents speaking up at school board meetings while pandering to corrupt unions that put their own political and financial interests above the interests of students.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pander
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Verb
What is happening often now is loud booing of public figures in the set-up of a joke, before the punchline can even pander to anyone.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 6 June 2025
Often, the films have a weird, pandering (and thus contemptuous) vibe.
—Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 24 May 2025
Ahead of the June primary and in the months and years to come, an energized and emboldened rider movement will keep shifting the transit policy arc away from pandering politicians who exploit our fears but neglect our needs.
—Betsy Plum, New York Daily News, 19 May 2025
The Biden-Harris administration targeted concerned parents speaking up at school board meetings while pandering to corrupt unions that put their own political and financial interests above the interests of students.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pander
Cite this Entry
“Pander.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pander. Accessed 15 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
pander
1 of 2 transitive verb
pan·der
ˈpan-dər
: to sell or distribute by pandering
had no protected right to pander prurient materials—Dunigan Enterprises v. DA for the Northern District, 415 N.E.2d 251 (1981)
Dunigan Enterprises v. DA for the Northern District, 415 N.E.2d 251 (1981)
: to engage in pandering
counts included…conspiracy to pander and receive the earnings of a prostitute—State v. Tocco, 750 P.2d 874 (1988)
State v. Tocco, 750 P.2d 874 (1988)pander
2 of 2 noun
: one who engages in pandering : panderer
Etymology
Noun
Middle English Pandare, character who procured for Troilus the love of Cressida in Troilus and Creseyde, poem by Geoffrey Chaucer (ca. 1342–1400)
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