wander
Americanverb (used without object)
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to ramble without a definite purpose or objective; roam, rove, or stray.
to wander over the earth.
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to go aimlessly, indirectly, or casually; meander.
The river wanders among the rocks.
- Synonyms:
- saunter
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to extend in an irregular course or direction.
Foothills wandered off to the south.
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to move, pass, or turn idly, as the hand or the eyes.
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(of the mind, thoughts, desires, etc.) to take one direction or another without conscious intent or control.
His attention wandered as the speaker droned on.
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to stray from a path, place, companions, etc..
During the storm the ship wandered from its course.
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to deviate in conduct, belief, etc.; err; go astray.
Let me not wander from Thy Commandments.
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to think or speak confusedly or incoherently.
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(of a person with a mental disorder or cognitive impairment) to move about or walk in a seemingly aimless or random manner.
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
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(also tr) to move or travel about, in, or through (a place) without any definite purpose or destination
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to proceed in an irregular course; meander
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to go astray, as from a path or course
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(of the mind, thoughts, etc) to lose concentration or direction
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to think or speak incoherently or illogically
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has wanderedperfect 3rd person singular
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have wanderedperfect
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is wanderingprogressive 3rd person singular
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has been wanderingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am wanderingprogressive 1st person singular
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are wanderingprogressive
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wanderssingular 3rd person
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have been wanderingperfect progressive
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wanderingparticiple
Past
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had wanderedperfect
-
had been wanderingperfect progressive
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was wanderingprogressive singular
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were wanderingprogressive plural
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wanderedsimple
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wanderedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of wander
First recorded before 900; Middle English wandren, Old English wandrian “to wend repeatedly” (cognate with German wandern ), from wendan; see wend
Explanation
The verb wander describes something that has lost track. If you're watching a boring movie, your mind might begin to wander. If you don't have a clear goal, you could wander too — meaning you drift aimlessly. When you wander mentally, your thoughts get lost. And when you wander physically, you don't have a destination, so it's also possible to lose your bearings and not know where you are — or how to get back. That's why wander is also used to describe someone who drifts from place to place or job to job without a sense of direction or purpose.
Vocabulary lists containing wander
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"The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
More than a century ago, Albert Einstein and Wander Johannes de Haas demonstrated that changing the magnetization of a material could physically cause it to rotate.
From Science Daily • May 24, 2026
Wander around the re-created Civil War battlefields, or sign up for any one of the numerous official ghost tours of the city.
From MarketWatch • Oct. 27, 2025
AI is also being used to design certain items for Stitch Fix’s private-label brands including Montgomery Post and We Wander, which cuts design time down to weeks from months.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 22, 2025
Wander, for instance, to a compartment at the ship’s bow, and you may hear conspiratorial whispers.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 19, 2025
Wander Fernlight until someone pointed them in the right direction.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
