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

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

The owner turned one dog over to animal control but at least six more are roaming loose. —Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 8 Apr. 2024

The way Scholz uses detail and direction to encourage the eye to roam around the picture is masterful. —Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024

And amid a coronavirus lockdown in March 2020, residents of Llandudno in Wales spotted herds of goats roaming the streets, after more than a dozen of the animals ventured down from the hill above the town. —Amarachi Orie, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024

According to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, there were as many as 270,000 wild turkeys roaming the Old North State when they were last estimated in 2020. —Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 4 Apr. 2024

Every year since, Child has dropped a new Reacher mystery that finds the brooding introvert roaming the country and pitching in to investigate mysterious situations, usually pummeling bad guys along the way. —Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Apr. 2024

Bison collisions are more of a problem in northwestern Canada, especially Alberta and the Northwest Territories, where wood bison roam freely. —Aldo Svaldi, The Denver Post, 2 Apr. 2024

The string of barrier islands runs from the North Carolina-Virginia border to Ocracoke Island, made up of a long list of historical sites, waterfront restaurants, campgrounds, light stations open to climbers and the infamous wild horses roaming the islands. —Chyna Blackmon, Charlotte Observer, 2 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