errant
Americanadjective
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deviating from the regular or proper course; erring; straying.
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journeying or traveling, as a medieval knight in quest of adventure; roving adventurously.
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moving in an aimless or lightly changing manner.
an errant breeze.
adjective
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archaic wandering in search of adventure
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erring or straying from the right course or accepted standards
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of errant
1300–50; Middle English erraunt < Middle French, Old French errant, present participle of errer, edrer to travel < Vulgar Latin *iterāre to journey, for Late Latin itinerārī, derivative of iter, stem itiner- journey ( see itinerary); confused with Middle French errant, present participle of errer to err
Explanation
Something or someone described as errant has gone astray or done wrong by going in an unexpected direction. An errant bird might end up in northern Canada while his friends fly to southern Mexico for the winter. Although errant is commonly used as a synonym for "misbehaving" or "naughty," it also refers to things that are just out of place. An errant bomb can hit a house instead of an army base, and an errant lock of hair can get in your eyes. Errant can be intentional, as in "the errant boys skipped school to go to the movies," or unintentional, as in "an errant snowball hit your neighbor instead of your arch enemy."
Vocabulary lists containing errant
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Grade 12, List 1
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Speak
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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.
Errant passes midfielder Cristian Roldan hoped would be cleaned up in time for the club’s first MLS road match Saturday.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 11, 2023
Errant bags frequently wrap around the rotating discs that separate waste by size and weight, he said, forcing recyclers to shut the equipment down.
From Reuters • Dec. 28, 2021
Errant flaps can be taped back in place — a short-term fix — or ripped away with the teeth.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 4, 2021
Errant electrical fields attracted an army of fire ants, which swarmed the lining of the driver’s race suit right before he put it on.
From New York Times • Sep. 3, 2020
Errant Student: “I’m on my way to get one now.”
From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson
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.
