wander

play

verb wan·der \ˈwän-dər\

Definition of wander

wandered

;

wandering

play \ˈwän-d(ə-)riŋ\

intransitive verb
1a : to move about without a fixed course, aim, or goalb : to go idly about : ramble wandering around the house
2 : to follow a winding course : meander
3a : to go astray (as from a course) : stray wandered away from the groupb : to go astray morally : errc : to lose normal mental contact : stray in thought his mind wandered
transitive verb
: to roam over wandered the halls

wander

noun

wanderer

play \ˈwän-dər-ər\ noun

See wander defined for English-language learners

See wander defined for kids

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 of wander from the Web

With the help of technology and a police dog, the community leaders were found safe after a game of hide and seek meant to raise awareness about a tracking device to help police find someone with memory issues or a disability who has wandered.

— amy lavalley, Post-Tribune, "Dog, technology in dead heat to find 'missing' officials," 18 July 2017
Marchal wanders away for long stretches of time, getting things set up or talking with fans.

— matthew vantryon, The Courier-Journal, "Dog days of summer: Meet the bat-retrieving, Gatorade-delivering canine," 11 July 2017
Kevin Heath was wandering around his local CVS pharmacy in search of licorice for his wife, stymied that the candy display was no longer in its usual spot at the front of the store.

— sharon terlep, WSJ, "Why Your Local CVS Is Hiding the Candy and Tanning Oil," 28 June 2017
Wandering Fox Trail, 8608, No. 205-John and Virginia Robinson to Peter B. and Pamela S. Whitney, $232,000.

— Washington Post, "Howard County home sales," 19 June 2017
Charlie is a 7-pound, 10-year-old Chihuahua mix who was found wandering as a stray.

— idahostatesman, "Canyon County Pet of the Week: Charlie," 19 June 2017
Without wandering into spoiler territory, a few more things can be noted: It is set in a small East Coast town that looks as safe and bucolic as any Norman Rockwell community.

— colin covert, The Mercury News, "Movie review: ‘Book of Henry’ — irresistible because it’s so confounding," 16 June 2017
Hall has a sound delivery, though his arm slot can wander and detract from his control and command.

— randy mcroberts, The Aegis, "IronBirds to begin 16th season at home on Monday," 13 June 2017
Even his ingenious business council meetings are less a thing, and health care reform and other projects seem to be wandering around with no sense of direction.

— jay ambrose, Twin Cities, "Jay Ambrose: Trump needs an intervention," 11 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of wander

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of 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

WANDER Defined for English Language Learners

wander

play

verb

Definition of wander for English Language Learners

: to move around or go to different places usually without having a particular purpose or direction
: to follow a path with many turns
: to go away from a path, course, etc.

WANDER Defined for Kids

wander

play

verb wan·der \ˈwän-dər\

Definition of wander for Students

wandered

;

wandering

1 : to move about without a goal or purpose : ramble
2 : to get off the right path or leave the right area : stray “She would never wander far away alone … you know how timid she is.” — Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea
3 : to lose concentration My mind began to wander.
4 : to follow a winding course The path wanders through the woods.