gander

1 of 2

noun (1)

gan·​der ˈgan-dər How to pronounce gander (audio)
1
: an adult male goose
2

gander

2 of 2

noun (2)

plural ganders
informal
: look, glance
take a gander
Those intrigued by such oddities … will surely find Stuart Kelly's "Book of Lost Books: An Incomplete History of All the Great Books You'll Never Read" worth a gander.Joe Queenan
… trying to step back for a good gander at the art in the Guggenheim.Charles Taylor
… had no choice but to push to the front of the horde and through some glass doors to get a gander at what was going on.Rick Barrs

Examples of gander in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Republicans have decided that what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 11 Jan. 2024 There's a vintage carousel (good for entertaining little ones, as is a gander at the street performers who often set up here during the late afternoon). Sarah James, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Nov. 2023 The best fashion from the Emmys red carpet: Take a gander at all the best looks, including Selena Gomez, Suki Waterhouse, Hannah Waddingham and Quinta Brunson. Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2024 Just take a gander at Tripadvisor’s 2024 Travelers’ Choice Awards for a little inspiration. Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 16 Jan. 2024 Just scroll down to your hometown and take a gander. Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 11 Jan. 2024 Take a gander at the video below: Tennessee tornado 2023. Matt Lanza, Ars Technica, 14 Dec. 2023 What’s good for the conservative goose is good for the liberal gander. George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2023 Needless to say, there are quite different adjectives being used by these and other key participants for Sphere in advance of Friday night’s opening, all of them bending toward the idea that minds will be utterly blown once the first 18,000 people get a gander inside the place. Chris Willman, Variety, 29 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gander.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English gandre, gander, going back to Old English gandra, ganra, going back to Germanic *gan-ra- (whence Middle Low German ganre "male goose," Upper German dialect Gander, Ganter), derivative from the base of Germanic *gan-s- "goose" — more at goose entry 1

Noun (2)

probably derivative of gander entry 1, from the goose-like appearance of a person stretching to look at something

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

circa 1914, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gander was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near gander

Cite this Entry

“Gander.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gander. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

gander

1 of 2 noun
gan·​der ˈgan-dər How to pronounce gander (audio)
: a male goose

gander

2 of 2 noun
: a look often for judging
take a gander

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