wander
Americanverb (used without object)
-
wanders,
present (3rd person singular)
-
wandered,
past participle, past
-
wandering
present participle
-
to ramble without a definite purpose or objective; roam, rove, or stray.
to wander over the earth.
-
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.
-
(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)
-
wanders,
present (3rd person singular)
-
wandered,
past participle, past
-
wandering
present participle
noun
-
wanders
plural
verb
-
(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
-
(of the mind, thoughts, etc) to lose concentration or direction
-
to think or speak incoherently or illogically
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
wandersimple
-
wanderssimple
-
have wanderedperfect
-
has wanderedperfect
-
am wanderingprogressive
-
are wanderingprogressive
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is wanderingprogressive
-
have been wanderingperfect progressive
-
has been wanderingperfect progressive
Past
-
wanderedsimple
-
had wanderedperfect
-
was wanderingprogressive
-
were wanderingprogressive
-
had been wanderingperfect progressive
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.
See Examples For:
One of the stores I like to wander into is Burro; because I’m a gift giver, and it’s a really good store for that.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
I would wander in with my perfectly sized tote, allow whatever charmed me to determine dinner and wait for the ingredients to organize themselves.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
Such calls are routine in Pima County, a mecca for desert hikers who sometimes get lost—as well as for retirees, some with failing memories who wander from home and lose their way.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
Whitelee was built on Eaglesham Moor and contains footpaths and tracks for walkers to wander between the turbines as well as a visitor centre.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Chica would leave soon to wander the world’s oceans for another year.
From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr
As he poured the traditional cup of wine for the prophet, Rabbi Aft reminded his community that Elijah wanders the earth disguised as a stranger, testing humanity’s capacity for hospitality, compassion and kindness.
From Salon ● Jun. 1, 2026
At 100, Attenborough no longer wanders the world's jungles and deserts.
From Barron's ● May 6, 2026
The narrative wanders through exuberant wordplay and digressions that can become distracting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
It can stay still for hours, striking only when prey wanders too close.
From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2026
Phil helps me into my seat, then wanders into the back and reappears with two heaping plates of food and places them on the table.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
The cross-Cabinet pet diplomacy apparently goes both ways: The Rubios’ goldendoodle has wandered into the Hegseth home.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
The discovery began with an exceptionally bright flare produced when a star wandered too close to a massive black hole and was ripped apart by its intense gravity.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
On June 8, the roughly two-dozen people who showed up for the auction wandered around the outside of the house as best they could.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management approved a plan to remove hundreds of horses that had wandered beyond their designated territory.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
He wandered to his bedroom window and looked out, just because.
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
The wandering sheriff is confident enough not to be strident, wise enough to maintain order as best he can, and savvy enough to read other people, which keeps him alert.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Murphy was first spotted living beneath a bush before wandering into the car park of The Old Windmill pub in the city centre, "rake thin" and in need of care.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Stein expects future searches with the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory to identify dozens or possibly hundreds of wandering black holes each year.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026
Hours before President Trump is scheduled to headline a Tuesday evening fundraiser at his Palos Verdes golf course, authorities announced they had arrested an armed individual seen wandering the grounds Sunday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
“I suppose I ought to find out when her birthday is. Blast! I hope I didn’t write it in the almanac. It’s a slippery book, that almanac, always wandering off....”
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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.
