roam

verb

\ˈrōm

roamed; roaming; roams

Definition of roam

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

Other Words from roam Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about roam

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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

Imagine House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi yelling over Jerry Blavat crooning from the stage while Mummers roamed the floor. — Chris Brennan, Philly.com, "The left-wing uprising that led to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's victory in N.Y.? It happened first in Pa. | Clout," 6 July 2018 There hasn’t been this much anticipation surrounding the Purdue football program since Joe Tiller roamed the sidelines in West Lafayette. — Matt Murschel, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Energized Purdue is No. 67 in 2018 preseason college football rankings," 21 June 2018 The bull will now live out the rest of his days roaming Unity Farm Sanctuary in Sherborn. — Cristela Guerra, BostonGlobe.com, "After crowdfunding campaign, Dudley the Scottish Highland bull retires in style," 12 June 2018 Bughead roam the woods looking for Ethel, chatting about her seizure and how B isn’t worried about it, and stumble upon the Gargoyle King/cow skull/altar thing…which starts moving toward them? — Jessica Macleish, Teen Vogue, ""Riverdale" Recap Season 3 Episode 2: Betty and Jughead Have a New Mystery to Solve," 18 Oct. 2018 Violet Whaley committed suicide in 1885, but visitors report spotting her, as well as her parents, who presumably refuse to rest in peace while their daughter still roams among the living. — Condé Nast Traveler, "8 Most Haunted Cities In America and Why You Should Visit," 18 Oct. 2018 There’s Bear Men in Them Hills Native Americans weren’t the only ones seeing this hairy, primate creature roaming the wilds of America. — Matt Blitz, Popular Mechanics, "Science Meets Legend: The Story of Our Search for Bigfoot," 8 Oct. 2018 Great Jagged Narrow-Toothed sharks grew up to and surpassed 30 feet in length, roaming the ancient seas. — Chris Ciaccia, Fox News, "Mega-shark teeth dating back 25 million years discovered at Australian beach," 2 Oct. 2018 The original comic book series created by Beau Smith in 1996 had Wynonna roaming the world hunting down revenants and other demons. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Wynonna Earp’s wild season 3 finale takes the series to a whole new level," 2 Oct. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'roam.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.