wan·der·ing
ˈwän-d(ə-)riŋ 
1
: a going about from place to place
—often used in plural
2
: movement away from the proper, normal, or usual course or place
—often used in plural
Synonyms
Examples of wandering in a Sentence
Adjective
your decidedly wandering essay loses its punch—stick to one theme
a wandering carnival that visited small towns all over the South
Recent Examples on the Web
Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 26 Mar. 2024
The show begins with the mystical Rafiki, the spirit shaman who is outside the story, but will interject herself at a crucial period when a confused Simba — in his befuddled, wandering phase — is finding his way.
—Christopher Smith, Orange County Register, 2 Feb. 2024
The police department shared more footage of the wandering goats on YouTube.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024
Multiple voices and instruments Antonoff’s open-hearted ode, with the saxophone blasts that have highlighted recent Bleachers singles turned into wandering thoughts and feelings; soon enough, the song collapses into a warm puddle of guitar, capturing a feeling of exhausted contentment.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 23 Feb. 2024
Some leaders are expressing fresh interest in bolstering Europe’s nuclear arsenal to hedge against a wandering Washington.
—Souad Mekhennet, Washington Post, 17 Feb. 2024
In a statement, Crockett explained that the record is a wandering tribute to his home country.
—Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 22 Jan. 2024
Some scientists said there may be a connection between global warming and the wandering vortex: The theory is that when weird warmth invades the Arctic, some of the cold that's supposed to stay up there – including the vortex – instead sloshes down south into North America and Europe.
—Doyle Rice, The Courier-Journal, 10 Jan. 2024
My mother's paternal grandfather was a wandering Muslim mystic.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2010
Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024
Laura Forbes, the communication director for the Greater Indiana Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association told WXIN that wandering is a sign of dementia.
—Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 21 Jan. 2024
But in 1975, Capote betrayed his swans more deeply than a wandering spouse ever could.
—Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 1 Feb. 2024
Industry representatives have said there should be a distinction between walkaway deaths at those different types of facilities, but the Post investigation found that state investigators issue violations for failures in both types of settings after fatal wandering deaths.
—Douglas MacMillan, Washington Post, 25 Jan. 2024
Cirque du Soleil is known for crafting elegant circus spectacles full of sumptuous visuals, deft acrobatics and wandering clowns.
—Sam Hurwitt, The Mercury News, 16 Jan. 2024
Yet there were mysterious melodies, atmospheric wanderings and unusual sounds layered into the lovely work.
—Sheila Regan, Twin Cities, 26 Jan. 2024
Thanks to the show’s occasional wanderings into the nostalgic corners of time and space, plenty of these former Doctors have come back — for better or for worse.
—Adam Lujan, EW.com, 14 Dec. 2023
Due to his constant wanderings around Charlotte in search of new places to eat, my brother-in-law, Mark, is pretty much the Vasco da Gama of lunch places.
—Clayton Hanson, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
Adjective
Danielle Carr Given too much room to roam, an Adderall article or essay can become overly ambitious, wandering and sprawling out into a totally unreadable (and unpublishable) manifesto that usually ends up foundering under the weight of overload.
—Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 26 Mar. 2024
The show begins with the mystical Rafiki, the spirit shaman who is outside the story, but will interject herself at a crucial period when a confused Simba — in his befuddled, wandering phase — is finding his way.
—Christopher Smith, Orange County Register, 2 Feb. 2024
The police department shared more footage of the wandering goats on YouTube.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024
Multiple voices and instruments Antonoff’s open-hearted ode, with the saxophone blasts that have highlighted recent Bleachers singles turned into wandering thoughts and feelings; soon enough, the song collapses into a warm puddle of guitar, capturing a feeling of exhausted contentment.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 23 Feb. 2024
Some leaders are expressing fresh interest in bolstering Europe’s nuclear arsenal to hedge against a wandering Washington.
—Souad Mekhennet, Washington Post, 17 Feb. 2024
In a statement, Crockett explained that the record is a wandering tribute to his home country.
—Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 22 Jan. 2024
Some scientists said there may be a connection between global warming and the wandering vortex: The theory is that when weird warmth invades the Arctic, some of the cold that's supposed to stay up there – including the vortex – instead sloshes down south into North America and Europe.
—Doyle Rice, The Courier-Journal, 10 Jan. 2024
My mother's paternal grandfather was a wandering Muslim mystic.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2010
Noun
Hormones might have played a role in fueling Charlie’s heartache and wandering, because swans typically breed in March, Hermon said.
—Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024
Laura Forbes, the communication director for the Greater Indiana Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association told WXIN that wandering is a sign of dementia.
—Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 21 Jan. 2024
But in 1975, Capote betrayed his swans more deeply than a wandering spouse ever could.
—Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 1 Feb. 2024
Industry representatives have said there should be a distinction between walkaway deaths at those different types of facilities, but the Post investigation found that state investigators issue violations for failures in both types of settings after fatal wandering deaths.
—Douglas MacMillan, Washington Post, 25 Jan. 2024
Cirque du Soleil is known for crafting elegant circus spectacles full of sumptuous visuals, deft acrobatics and wandering clowns.
—Sam Hurwitt, The Mercury News, 16 Jan. 2024
Yet there were mysterious melodies, atmospheric wanderings and unusual sounds layered into the lovely work.
—Sheila Regan, Twin Cities, 26 Jan. 2024
Thanks to the show’s occasional wanderings into the nostalgic corners of time and space, plenty of these former Doctors have come back — for better or for worse.
—Adam Lujan, EW.com, 14 Dec. 2023
Due to his constant wanderings around Charlotte in search of new places to eat, my brother-in-law, Mark, is pretty much the Vasco da Gama of lunch places.
—Clayton Hanson, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wandering.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing wandering
Dictionary Entries Near wandering
Cite this Entry
“Wandering.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wandering. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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Medical Definition
wandering
1 of 2 adjective
wan·der·ing
ˈwän-də-riŋ
: floating
a wandering spleen
wandering
2 of 2 noun
: movement of a tooth out of its normal position especially as a result of periodontal disease
More from Merriam-Webster on wandering
Nglish: Translation of wandering for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of wandering for Arabic Speakers
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