roam

[rohm]

verb (used without object)

1. to walk, go, or travel without a fixed purpose or direction; ramble; wander; rove.

   to roam about the world.

   Synonyms: prowl, stroll, stray

verb (used with object)

1. to wander over or through.

   to roam the countryside.

noun

1. an act or instance of roaming; a ramble.

roam

/ rəʊm /

verb

1. to travel or walk about with no fixed purpose or direction; wander

noun

1. the act of roaming

Other Word Forms

• roamer noun
• unroaming adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of roam¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English romen origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of roam¹

C13: origin unknown

Synonym Study

Roam, ramble, range, rove imply wandering about over (usually) a considerable amount of territory. Roam implies a wandering or traveling over a large area, especially as prompted by restlessness or curiosity: to roam through a forest. Ramble implies pleasant, carefree moving about, walking with no specific purpose and for a limited distance: to ramble through fields near home. Range usually implies wandering over a more or less defined but extensive area in search of something: Cattle range over the plains. Rove sometimes implies wandering with specific incentive or aim, as an animal for prey: Bandits rove through these mountains.

Example Sentences

The incident highlights a gap in California law for the hundreds of autonomous vehicles roaming the streets of Los Angeles and San Francisco.

From Los Angeles Times

As agents roam the streets, the city’s economy is suffering.

From Salon

"No one wants masked officers roaming their communities and kidnapping people with impunity," he said.

From BBC

At times, he has even kept his cows enclosed instead of letting them roam, because of fears about the fires.

From BBC

The thrust of the tale is that we are the only surviving human species among several that once roamed the Earth, a line that has been around more than 300,000 years.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• drift 
• meander 
• prowl 
• ramble 
• saunter 
• stray 
• stroll 
• traipse 
• tramp 
• trek