wandered

verb

past tense of wander
1
as in roamed
to move about from place to place aimlessly we just went outside and wandered around until it was time to go

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in fell
to commit an offense we have all wandered from the path of righteousness at least once in our lives

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wandered Kahan’s fans — they’re called Busyheads, after his 2019 debut — wandered the festival grounds in their Kahan merch and cowboy boots, taking in the stunning view of the Hudson River. — Rolling Stone, 5 July 2026 The American mink likely wandered into the resident's yard from the riverbank, according to the Sonoma County Animal Service. — Noe Padilla, USA Today, 1 July 2026 The 1,200-pound giraffe, named Gracie, wandered away from her unfenced habitat at Cedar Hollow Ranch in Leakey, Texas, on June 12. — Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2026 At the time, the ranch said the giraffe had likely slipped through an enclosure gate and wandered into surrounding private ranchland. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026 The last gives the bottle with its few inches of water to a small child who has wandered in. — Janine Di Giovanni, Vanity Fair, 25 June 2026 The map released Wednesday — which depicts the watersheds where wolves wandered between May 26 and Tuesday — shows at least one wolf moved through the San Luis Valley and along the New Mexico border. — Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 24 June 2026 Those who wandered alone did not. — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026 After the good Samaritan got him off the woman, witnesses say the man wandered to produce and began attacking a 16-year-old boy, but Garbe had followed him. — Joy Benedict, CBS News, 19 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wandered
  1. roamed
  2. fell
  3. drifted
  4. trespassed
  5. strolled
  6. strayed
  7. cruised
Verb
  • For much of Sunday afternoon, Norway’s 6-foot-5 superstar Erling Haaland roamed the field, biding his time against Brazil, waiting for his moment to strike.
    — Tim Rohan, NBC news, 6 July 2026
  • Nomadic warriors called the Scythians roamed the Eurasian Steppe on horseback during the Iron Age.
    — Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
Definition of roamed
Verb
  • That the forest below has not been felled but has swelled, along with its creatures, is hugely the work of Dharana’s owners, the de Souza family.
    — Horatio Clare, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 June 2026
  • The most dangerous situation appeared to be on Barrington Avenue, west of East Dundee Village Hall, where a light, a utility pole and part of a parkway tree were felled by strong winds, leaving power lines dangling across the road.
    — Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2026
Definition of fell
Verb
  • But here, Desire Doue played a little deeper than usual, and Kylian Mbappe drifted over to that side, always ready to break.
    — Michael Cox, New York Times, 10 July 2026
  • Short-form social content that recruits new audiences and reactivates the ones who drifted away.
    — Frank Racioppi, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of drifted
Verb
  • How the climbing couple got past security Prosecutors told the judge on July 2 that the defendants had trespassed overnight in the building before making the climb.
    — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 2 July 2026
  • The mother had also requested that Field be trespassed from the property.
    — CBS Miami Team, CBS News, 12 June 2026
Definition of trespassed
Verb
  • Cubans strolled along el Paseo del Prado promenade in the inky night, desperate to escape the stifling heat of their homes.
    — Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 6 July 2026
  • More recently, Amal Clooney strolled through the South of France hand-in-hand with husband George in a black micro-mini with shorts peeking out underneath.
    — Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 4 July 2026
Definition of strolled
Verb
  • Close to half of Americans believe the country has strayed significantly from the nation's founding principles.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 1 July 2026
  • Finally, the report argues that Yale has strayed from its focus on rigor and academic excellence.
    — Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 27 June 2026
Definition of strayed
Verb
  • In his first bout at 170 pounds, Makhachev cruised to a decision win over Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 in November 2025, easily wresting the UFC welterweight crown from Della Maddalena.
    — Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
  • Zebby Matthews cruised through the first four frames, allowing just one run.
    — Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 4 July 2026
Definition of cruised

Browse Nearby Words

wander
wandered
wandered (into)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wandered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wandered. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on wandered

Nglish: Translation of wandered for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All