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

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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 Talley then wandered out of the media center, looking down at her phone and trying to find her friends. — Caoimhe O'Neill, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 One of the earliest deaths came in 1926, when a 3-year-old wandered from his home on Narragansett Avenue and fell to his demise. — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026 About an hour later, the hikers called the sheriff’s office for directions but eventually wandered off the Clear Creek Route and into Mud Creek Canyon. — Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026 These objects are thought to have wandered in from the Kuiper Belt beyond Pluto, their paths perhaps perturbed by distant gravitational interactions with the gas giant planets, or even a nudge from a passing star. — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 4 Sep. 2026 Bolton spent a week this summer in Kansas City, sandwiched by two World Cup matches, and wandered into the team facility. — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026 Authorities initially said Saylor’s mother reported that her child had wandered off from a rental home in Hagley Estates in Pawleys Island and was last seen wearing her swimsuit. — Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 3 Sep. 2026 Dan emerges as Primetime’s unlikely heart, bewildered by the dark world he’s wandered into and left to negotiate his ambitions with the high stakes of the job. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026 Emde wandered ahead while King lagged behind at her usual tempo, which is uncommonly slow but projects incongruous urgency. — Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wandered
  1. roamed
  2. fell
  3. drifted
  4. trespassed
  5. strolled
  6. strayed
  7. cruised
Verb
  • For nearly a hundred years, mule deer have roamed across the scenic but fragile ecosystem of Catalina Island in Southern California, ultimately becoming an ecological fixture and tourist attraction for folks who visit from the mainland.
    — Noe Padilla, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The singer roamed the space, which created an eternity out of glass, and captured the experience on camera.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of roamed
Verb
  • The goal came after Furuhashi got loose on a breakaway up the middle of the pitch, only to be felled by New England’s Will Sands in the center of the box, leaving referee Drew Fischer with an easy penalty call.
    — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Mosaic terrazzo floors with a palm motif are nods to both Tiberius’s villas here and the Ethiopian palm that once stood like an icon outside the hotel, which was felled by a storm in the 1960s.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of fell
Verb
  • Lizzie and O’Neil also drifted apart as the actress continued touring with her theater company.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The vehicle drifted to the right toward the shoulder, struck the woman and continued south on Franklin Boulevard, according to the CHP.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of drifted
Verb
  • The incident follows years of legal disputes over the pipeline, including a court ruling that Enbridge trespassed on tribal land.
    — Laura Schulte, jsonline.com, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Since then, no one has been cited, trespassed or arrested for bringing weapons into the park, city and police officials told the Orlando Sentinel.
    — Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 July 2026
Definition of trespassed
Verb
  • Braun strolled alongside Sweeney in a pair of beige suede boat shoes.
    — Erin Wisti, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Once the final paddle was raised, the crowd strolled over to the President’s Suite in Arthur Ashe Stadium for dessert, Honey Deuces, and a front row seat to the nail-biting Djokovic-Navone match.
    — Paul Chi, Vogue, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of strolled
Verb
  • There is now a new column in Ukrainian politics that is young, has experience of power and reform, and seeks to constantly remind Ukraine that its president has strayed outside of his original electoral mandate.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Shoes are way too clunky and be-socked feet on a bus are just asking to encounter a plug that’s strayed from a bunk while going round a corner.
    — Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of strayed
Verb
  • On Sunday morning, great clouds covered the tops of the city’s tallest skyscrapers, but the weather cleared up while the mother and daughter cruised together as participants in Bike the Drive.
    — Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The 36-year-old cruised through seven scoreless innings, scattering three hits and three walks while striking out seven batters.
    — Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of cruised

Browse Nearby Words

wander
wandered
wandered (into)
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Cite this Entry

“Wandered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wandered. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

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