wander

verb wan·der \ ˈwän-dər \

Updated on: 12 Apr 2018

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

As the race neared, Ruis wandered the paddock within a few feet of celebrity chef Bobby Flay.

— bryce miller, sandiegouniontribune.com, "El Cajon's Mick Ruis tripped at Santa Anita, but Kentucky Derby dream remains robustly alive," 7 Apr. 2018
Yesterday, two goats wandered away from a local farm and onto a beam on the Mahoning River Bridge.

— rebecca bratek, CBS News, "Goats rescued after daring climb onto Pennsylvania bridge," 6 Apr. 2018
On a cold, sunny afternoon in March, the novelist Madeline Miller wandered through the Greek and Roman galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, swooning over ancient amphoras and ethereal statues of gods and goddesses.

— alexandra alter, New York Times, "Circe, a Vilified Witch From Classical Mythology, Gets Her Own Epic," 6 Apr. 2018
Buildings are spread out and interlopers can wander between them with little notice.

— theodore schleifer, Recode, "YouTube vowed to increase security after the attack — but that’s a tough task on tech campuses," 5 Apr. 2018
Locals and employees can wander freely together in the vicinity, and security guards typically stay at desks inside the buildings.

— Fortune, "Is Silicon Valley Vulnerable? Shooting at YouTube HQ Prompts Security Fears," 4 Apr. 2018
One day at a Fordham basketball camp, Pecora wandered over to a court where Paschall, still a high school underclassman then, was playing.

— mike sielski, Philly.com, "From Fordham to the Final Four: How Eric Paschall ended up at Villanova | Mike Sielski," 2 Apr. 2018
White House staff and cabinet secretaries wandered the lawn as kids rolled the eggs and bowled on the lawn — Melania Trump’s new contribution to the event’s lineup of activities.

— tessa berenson, Time, "'The Democrats Have Really Let Them Down.' President Trump Brought Politics to the White House Easter Egg Roll," 2 Apr. 2018
On the last day of their first family trip to Paris, the Callanans wandered into The Red Wheelbarrow, an English-language bookshop in the Marais district that was closing.

— jim higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "'Paris by the Book' could be local writer's breakthrough hit," 22 Mar. 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.