wander

verb

wan·​der ˈwän-dər 

wandered; wandering ˈwän-d(ə-)riŋ 

intransitive verb

1

a

: to move about without a fixed course, aim, or goal

b

: to go idly about : ramble

wandering around the house

2

: to follow a winding course : meander

3

a

: to go astray (as from a course) : stray

wandered away from the group

b

: to go astray morally : err

c

: to lose normal mental contact : stray in thought

his mind wandered

transitive verb

: to roam over

wandered the halls

wander noun

wanderer

ˈwän-dər-ər 

noun

Synonyms

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

Choose the Right Synonym for wander

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 wander in a Sentence

I was just wandering around the house.

They wandered down the street.

Students were wandering the halls.

He wandered away from the trail and got lost.

Recent Examples on the Web

The footage shows the coyote wandering around the park, pausing sporadically to look around. Brett Cohn was jogging across the park’s 72nd Street Traverse on the morning of Saturday, April 20, when the unexpected encounter occurred. —Sage Marshall, Field & Stream, 25 Apr. 2024

Cauliflower-ear fighters, announcers in baggy suits, and ponytailed techs wander around him, prepping for tonight’s bare-knuckle event at an 11,000-seat arena. —Stayton Bonner, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2024

Kayakers, invited by Zeller to bring the river to life, paddled in circles as guests in business attire and neon vests munched hors d’oeuvres and wandered the empty concrete decks above them. —Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 18 Apr. 2024

Aidan needs such support because he’s wandered away from his caregivers several times over the years. —Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024

The mammoth animal was scheduled to appear on stage at Jordan World Circus in Butte, Montana, but before her act, Viola escaped and wandered through the city, a city official confirmed to CBS News. —Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2024

Beta now has more than six hundred employees, most of whom seem to have wandered in from a dog park outside a microbrewery. —Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024

According to the study, most hikers got lost by wandering off the trail (41%), while others got lost due to bad weather (17%), falling off the trail (16%), getting separated from the group (8%), suffering an injury (7%), darkness (6%) and loss or failure of equipment (5%). —Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024

Two Mountain Rescue volunteers, in red, wandered the crowd, offering free eclipse glasses and advice, to the civilians without skis, on how, and how quickly, to get back down. —Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English wandren, from Old English wandrian; akin to Middle High German wandern to wander, Old English windan to wind, twist

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing wander

• go for a wander
• have/take a wander

Kids Definition

wander

verb

wan·​der ˈwän-dər 

wandered; wandering -d(ə-)riŋ 

1

: to move about without a purpose

2

: to follow a winding course : meander

3

a

: to get off the right course : stray

wandered away

b

: to lose one's normal mental concentration

her mind wandered

wander noun

wanderer

-dər-ər 

noun