ramble

American  

[ram-buhl] / ˈræm bəl /

verb (used without object)

rambled, rambling

1. to wander around in a leisurely, aimless manner.

   They rambled through the shops until closing time.

   Synonyms:

   straggle, stray, amble, saunter, stroll

2. to take a course with many turns or windings, as a stream or path.

3. to grow in a random, unsystematic fashion.

   The vine rambled over the walls and tree trunks.

4. to talk or write in a discursive, aimless way (usually followed byon ).

   The speaker rambled on with anecdote after anecdote.

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verb (used with object)

rambled, rambling

1. to walk aimlessly or idly over or through.

   They spent the spring afternoon rambling woodland paths.

noun

1. a walk without a definite route, taken merely for pleasure.

ramble British  

/ ˈræmbəl /

verb

1. to stroll about freely, as for relaxation, with no particular direction

2. (of paths, streams, etc) to follow a winding course; meander

3. (of plants) to grow in a random fashion

4. (of speech, writing, etc) to lack organization

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noun

1. a leisurely stroll, esp in the countryside

Related Words

See roam.

Etymology

Origin of ramble

First recorded in 1610–20; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

I studied my mother as Salzburg rambled on.

From Literature

For once, nobody rambled, nobody went off script, and almost everyone remembered to thank their mum.

From BBC

Australian supermarket giant Woolworths has been forced to rein in an AI-powered customer service assistant after users reported it had been rambling about its mother.

From Barron's

The reporter got what he hoped for—a rambling, scandalous interview.

From Literature

AI can point out whether you’re rambling or offering criticism without actionable advice, for example.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• amble
• digress
• meander
• roam
• saunter
• straggle
• stroll
• traipse
• zigzag