wander

verb

wan·der ˈwän-dər

wandered; wandering ˈwän-d(ə-)riŋ

Synonyms of wander next

intransitive verb

: to move about without a fixed course, aim, or goal

: to go idly about : ramble

wandering around the house

: to follow a winding course : meander

: to go astray (as from a course) : stray

wandered away from the group

: to go astray morally : err

: to lose normal mental contact : stray in thought

his mind wandered

transitive verb

: to roam over

wandered the halls

wander noun

wanderer

ˈwän-dər-ər

noun

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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 on the Web Tom Sietsema’s 7 favorite places to eat right now Any meal is also enhanced by the wine service from general manager Danya Degen, also a sunny presence behind the bar, which seems to be a draw for the building’s residents, who wander in from the lobby. —

Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023 Connors' office at the UN's New York City headquarters is far from the polished halls where high-level diplomats wander. —

David Blood, CNN, 15 Sep. 2023 The man had also been trespassed from the 444 Park apartments earlier that day after wandering around the property without a shirt. —

cleveland, 12 Sep. 2023 Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher went on one of his bad-boy tirades during a performance at the 1996 show by swearing, wandering the stage and making lewd gestures during his brother Noel's guitar solo. —

Kate Hogan, Peoplemag, 12 Sep. 2023 Wilson wandered off alone and spent a while looking out to sea. —

Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2023 Visitors can wander the gardens for free during the day via stairs that provide street access, but it is not considered a public park. —

Mariah Tyler, Travel + Leisure, 9 Sep. 2023 This electron is then free to interact with other atoms, or maybe just wander off into empty space. —

WIRED, 8 Sep. 2023 The android then wanders within her stories and its senses gradually awaken. —

Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 6 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wander.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.