nomad

American  

[noh-mad] / ˈnoʊ mæd /

noun

1. a member of a people or tribe that has no permanent abode but moves about from place to place, usually seasonally and often following a traditional route or circuit according to the state of the pasturage or food supply.

2. any wanderer; itinerant.

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adjective

1. nomadic.

nomad British  

/ ˈnəʊmæd /

noun

1. a member of a people or tribe who move from place to place to find pasture and food

2. a person who continually moves from place to place; wanderer

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Other Word Forms

• nomadism noun
• nonnomad noun
• seminomad noun
• seminomadism noun

Etymology

Origin of nomad

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin nomad-, from Greek, stem of nomás “roaming about for pasture,” akin to némein “to pasture, graze”

Explanation

A nomad is someone with no permanent home, like the member of a tribe that moves from place to place in search of food, or the rock star who spends 365 days a year in tour buses and hotel rooms. The word nomad has traditionally meant a member of a tribe of people who roamed from place to place in search of animals and shelter. Nomadic tribes wandered out of necessity. Wherever the food went, they went. In its more modern sense, a nomad is someone who would rather wander from place to place than set down roots, like the nomad who crashes at his friends' apartments in various cities instead of renting his own place.

Example Sentences

She saw the tragedy as an "opportunity" to travel the world as a digital nomad, spending months at a time in places like Australia, Bali, Malta, and Thailand.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

The idea of being a digital nomad with no oversight is romantic, but when your income is project-based or hourly billed, you start feeling like every waking moment you aren’t working is costing you money.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 16, 2026

Italy also offers a digital nomad visa, though applicants must be able to prove they have at least $31,000 in savings.

From Salon • Nov. 16, 2024

He is artist and nomad, choreographer and businessman who, in a perpetual search for studio space and favorable leases, has moved his company 10 times since co-founding it here with Theresa Farrell in 2011.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2024

The invention of grafting was hardly just a matter of some nomad relieving herself at a latrine and returning later to be pleasantly surprised by the resulting crop of fine fruit.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• migrant
• pilgrim
• vagabond
• wanderer