wander

play

verb wan·der \ ˈwän-dər \

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

—

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

The announcement video features a monkey bashing on a laptop and a lion wandering about before club legend Francesco Totti reveals the new signing to be Schick, who impressed during his season-long stay with Sampdoria.

— SI.com, "Roma Reveal Signing of Patrik Schick With Strangest Transfer Announcement Video This Summer," 29 Aug. 2017
One high school girl wandered by with her plate and asked whether anyone knew where the composting heap was.

— allison steele, Philly.com, "Cooking therapy for teenagers, complete with black lentil salad and strawberry hair conditioner," 10 Aug. 2017
What if a U.S. jet wanders into Pyongyang’s airspace?

— heather hurlburt, Daily Intelligencer, "Could Donald Trump Stumble Into Nuclear War With North Korea?," 9 Aug. 2017
The packaging is unabashedly feminine compared to say, a marching royal guard in a red uniform, which is a trend in gin that’s creeping along (see Greenall’s new Bloom gin, a turquoise bottle with a bas relief of wandering vines).

— alex beggs, Bon Appetit, "Rosé Gin Is Here, But Does It Taste Like Rosé?," 2 Aug. 2017
For the first six months of his presidency, Trump’s West Wing was infamously chaotic, with visitors and staff wandering freely into and out of the Oval Office, leaving the administration with no clear communication lines or chain of command.

— benjamin landy, The Hive, "Friday Night Massacre: Reince Priebus Ousted as Trump Names New Chief of Staff," 28 July 2017
Students sometimes dress in red gowns and wander down a 17th-century stone pier.

— howard swains, Town & Country, "How Scotland's University of St. Andrews Became a Top American School," 24 July 2017
A description of the spy story follows with the recounting of God's decree that the Jews would wander in the desert for 40 years.

— rabbi avi weiss, Jewish Journal, "Weiss: The nature and structure of the book of Devarim," 24 July 2017
If that’s not enough, locals and country music fans alike can wander around the four-story entertainment mecca, feasting their eyes on wall-to-wall memorabilia from the singer’s collection.

— michelle darrisaw, Southern Living, "AJ’s Good Time Bar in Nashville is Now Open—Here’s a Look at All Four Floors," 18 July 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

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

Near Antonyms

forgive, justify, pardon; regret, repent, rue

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.

—

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.