wander

verb wan·der \ ˈwän-dər \

|Updated on: 6 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: wander in a Sentence

Definition of wander

wandered; wandering play \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

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wander

noun

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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

Jackson rarely let the elderly female out of the house, but gave the cat the chance to wander every once in a while.

— kale williams, OregonLive.com, "Cat found decapitated in Washington County, cops search for suspect," 27 May 2018
Chateaubriand’s most unsparing writing comes during his time as a Royalist soldier, when he’s wounded, infected by smallpox and discharged to wander the French countryside.

— alan riding, New York Times, "The French Revolution Made Him an Exile, and a Writer," 25 May 2018
Folks come to backpack for days in the 517,000-acre Trinity Alps Wilderness or to wander along the frothy McCloud River Trail to a series of cascading falls, some as high as 50 feet.

— tim neville, Outside Online, "The Definitive Guide to Visiting the Pacific Northwest," 24 May 2018
After a hard defensive play by Morris sent Larry Nance Jr. into the first row of seats, Morris appeared to wander over and say something.

— jimmy golen, Houston Chronicle, "Celtics beat Cavaliers to take 3-2 lead in East finals," 24 May 2018
Here, now, is the space to move, the space to breathe, the space to wander.

— claire comstock-gay, The Cut, "Madame Clairevoyant: Horoscopes for the Week of May 21," 21 May 2018
As nighttime approaches, Frenchmen Street in the Marigny is the best place to wander for music.

— rick jervis, USA TODAY, "New Orleans at 300: Crescent City celebrates its big birthday in style," 11 May 2018
But in recent years parents have been visited by police and even charged for allowing their children to wander neighborhoods freely.

— scott berson, miamiherald, "The nation's first 'free range' parenting law takes effect in Utah. Could your state be next? | Miami Herald," 7 May 2018
Following these maps to the letter led to frustration: the only way was to wander with the idea of a destination in mind.

— frances leech, Longreads, "Forgetting the Madeleine," 3 May 2018

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

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

wander Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Related Words

amble, saunter, stroll;

dawdle, mope;

gypsy, hobo, tramp, vagabond;

mill (about or around);

straggle, stray;

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

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

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.

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wanderer

noun

Synonym Discussion of wander

wander, roam, and ramble mean to move about from place to place without a reason or plan. wander is used for moving about without following a fixed course.