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Errant has a split history. It comes from Anglo-French, a language in which two confusingly similar verbs with identical spellings ("errer") coexisted. One errer meant "to err" and comes from the Latin errare, meaning "to wander" or "to err." The second errer meant "to travel," and traces to the Latin iter, meaning "road" or "journey." Both "errer" homographs contributed to the development of "errant," which not surprisingly has to do with both moving about and being mistaken. A "knight-errant" travels around in search of adventures. Cowboys round up "errant calves." An "errant child" is one who misbehaves. (You might also see "arrant" occasionally - it's a word that originated as an alteration of "errant" and that usually means "extreme" or "shameless.")
Examples of errant in a Sentence
Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 17 Oct. 2025
Shortly after entering, his errant pickoff throw allowed Freeman to score from third, providing the Dodgers with a critical insurance run and ultimately deciding the game.
—Katie Woo, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
That’s six misses — three extra points and three field goals this season — to go along with his errant kickoff at Jacksonville.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 13 Oct. 2025
But Columbus grabbed the momentum, and the lead, back with 72 seconds left in the second period when an errant deflection left Marchenko with a yawning net to hit, and the visitors took a 3-2 lead into the second intermission.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for errant
Cite this Entry
“Errant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/errant. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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errant
adjective
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