roam
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
noun
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
roamsimple
-
roamssimple
-
have roamedperfect
-
has roamedperfect
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am roamingprogressive
-
are roamingprogressive
-
is roamingprogressive
-
have been roamingperfect progressive
-
has been roamingperfect progressive
Past
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roamedsimple
-
had roamedperfect
-
was roamingprogressive
-
were roamingprogressive
-
had been roamingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of roam
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English romen origin uncertain
Explanation
When you wander without a plan or a specific destination, you roam. Your cat may stay close to your house when you let her outside, or she may roam around the neighborhood all day. Dogs and kids on bikes tend to roam in packs, looking for food or fun, while a tiger in the zoo roams aimlessly around his enclosure. Book characters' eyes sometimes roam, too, or glance over a scene without stopping: "Her eyes roam across the group, but there are no familiar faces." Experts have tried connecting roam to "pilgrimages to Rome," but there seems to be no relation between roam and Rome.
Vocabulary lists containing roam
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
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Greetings, World Traveler! — List 2
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"When Cultures Meet"
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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.
For Real Madrid, Mbappe plays as the striker with license to roam, particularly to the left.
From BBC • Jun. 30, 2026
He often talks about futuristic technologies and visions of a world where humanoid robots do all the work, money has been discarded and self-driving vehicles roam the streets.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026
By contrast, the mythical figure of the Wandering Jew was condemned to roam the earth without rest until the second coming of Christ.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
Why do so many people want to roam these hallways?
From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026
I roam around the grounds until a balding man in a brown robe appears.
From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven
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.
