1
as in rambling
passing from one topic to another
your decidedly wandering essay loses its punch—stick to one theme
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2
as in nomadic
traveling from place to place
a wandering carnival that visited small towns all over the South
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1
as in roaming
to move about from place to place aimlessly
we just went outside and wandered around until it was time to go
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2
as in trespassing
to commit an offense
we have all wandered from the path of righteousness at least once in our lives
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wandering
Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Give officers background clues about routines, favorite locations, past wandering episodes and favorite familiar landmarks to narrow the search area.
—Panashe Matemba-Mutasa, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026
Elwyn "bud" Myers, Outdoor Life, 11 Mar. 2026
Locals consistently rave about FIG and Leon’s Oyster Shop, though wandering around aimlessly—especially on the city’s lively King Street—is part of the fun, too.
—Annie Daly, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wandering
Adjective
Not pitching in a Cactus League game meant fewer wandering eyeballs.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Give officers background clues about routines, favorite locations, past wandering episodes and favorite familiar landmarks to narrow the search area.
—Panashe Matemba-Mutasa, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026
Verb
The final days of our ordeal blurred into a nightmare of torment, wandering while daylight lasted and huddling under open shelters at night, shaking with cold.
—Elwyn "bud" Myers, Outdoor Life, 11 Mar. 2026
Locals consistently rave about FIG and Leon’s Oyster Shop, though wandering around aimlessly—especially on the city’s lively King Street—is part of the fun, too.
—Annie Daly, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wandering
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wandering
Adjective
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Shinjuku Gyoen is a rambling blend of European and Japanese formal gardens that becomes a focal point of the cherry blossom season in late March.—
Stephen Kelly,
TheWeek,
26 Mar. 2026
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The four leads are overconfident and loutish, spending their time drinking, rambling, and clumsily working through their worries about the future.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Its size strikes a good balance between portability and spaciousness, and would be suitable both for stationary full-time living and for a nomadic lifestyle.—
Adam Williams
March 22,
New Atlas,
22 Mar. 2026
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Kumari writes that horses from Central Asia mainly arrived in India over land routes, brought by merchants from nomadic cultures who traveled in caravans.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But the company's robotaxis look entirely different from the Toyota Highlander SUVs that are currently roaming parts of downtown and East Austin.—
Karoline Leonard,
Austin American Statesman,
24 Mar. 2026
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The Yuba City Police Department on Friday released video of two of its officers shooting a shovel-wielding man who was nude and roaming through a residential neighborhood last month.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In Florida, trespassing on a construction site is a felony; trespassing on critical infrastructure, however, was almost always a misdemeanor.—
Adam Ciralsky,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
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The city discourages trespassing on private property.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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New this season are nomad-style cooking workshops, starlit movies for younger campers, and sunrise hawk walks.—
Katharina Kotrba,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Rogue planets—many of which have already been detected drifting through space—are thought to have been expelled from their original systems through gravitational interactions.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Mar. 2026
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When the weather is warm, the best tables are those in the meditative interior courtyard open to blue sky, drifting clouds and the breeze ruffling sudare screens.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Violent crime rates were falling well before the surge, in line with national trends.—
Cleve R. Wootson Jr. The Washington Post,
Arkansas Online,
25 Mar. 2026
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Swiss stocks show resilience By contrast, UBS said Swiss equities offer less exposure to energy disruptions at an attractive valuation point after falling more than 10% since the start of the conflict.—
Joseph Wilkins,
CNBC,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Otherwise, consider the more posh neighborhoods of Chelsea and Kensington—ideal for leisurely days spent browsing boutiques and art galleries or strolling over to Notting Hill for coffee and craft bakeries.—
Katharine Sohn,
Architectural Digest,
20 Mar. 2026
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Whether you’re headed to a garden wedding or simply strolling the neighborhood on a sunny Sunday, a floral dress is the easiest way to lean into the romance of the season.—
Laura Jackson,
Vogue,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wandering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wandering. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
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