roam

verb

ˈrōm 

roamed; roaming; roams

intransitive verb

1

: to go from place to place without purpose or direction : wander

2

: to travel purposefully unhindered through a wide area

cattle roaming in search of water

3

: to use a cellular phone outside one's local calling area

roaming charges

transitive verb

: to range or wander over

roam noun

roamer noun

Synonyms

• bat
• cruise
• drift
• float
• gad (about)
• gallivant
• galavant
• kick around
• knock (about)
• maunder
• meander
• mooch
• ramble
• range
• rove
• traipse
• wander

Choose the Right Synonym for roam

wander, roam, ramble, rove, traipse, meander mean to go about from place to place usually without a plan or definite purpose.

wander implies an absence of or an indifference to a fixed course.

fond of wandering about the square just watching the people

roam suggests wandering about freely and often far afield.

liked to roam through the woods

ramble stresses carelessness and indifference to one's course or objective.

the speaker rambled on without ever coming to the point

rove suggests vigorous and sometimes purposeful roaming.

armed brigands roved over the countryside

traipse implies a course that is erratic but may sometimes be purposeful.

traipsed all over town looking for the right dress

meander implies a winding or intricate course suggestive of aimless or listless wandering.

the river meanders for miles through rich farmland

Examples of roam in a Sentence

The cattle roamed in search of water.

Goats roam free on the mountain.

He roamed about in search of work.

The chickens are able to roam around freely in the farmyard.

We roamed around town for a while before dinner.

She liked to roam through the woods.

Recent Examples on the Web

Livestock are back, roaming open spaces throughout Elk Grove until the end of June. —Marcus D. Smith, Sacramento Bee, 20 Apr. 2024

Indy's litter brigade:New gang roaming the streets of Indianapolis is targeting ... litter? —Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 19 Apr. 2024

However, after freely sending photos and messages throughout his vacation he was charged for using 9.5 gigabytes (GB) of roaming data. —Erin Clements, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024

While roaming through the Capitol, court records said, Rossman eventually reached then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office suite, a restricted area. —Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024

An elephant escaped the confines of a traveling circus and roamed the streets of Butte, Montana, on Tuesday before it was recaptured without incident, NBC Montana reported. —Valeriya Antonshchuk, NBC News, 17 Apr. 2024

Moving to a neighborhood known for lots of families with kids roaming the yards made a huge difference. —Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024

You might be tempted to stare in the direction of the Lyra constellation, but experts recommend letting your eyes roam around the entire sky. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Apr. 2024

By contrast, Elephant Nature Park welcomes visitors for full- and half-day tours spent observing elephants roaming the preserve; those interested in staying longer — and getting their hands dirty — can volunteer to assist with the feeding and care of the residents. —Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English romen

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing roam

• his/her/my eyes roam

Kids Definition

roam

verb

ˈrōm 

1

: to go or go over from place to place without a plan

roam the hills

cattle roaming in search of water

2

: to use a cell phone outside one's local calling area

roamer noun