Synonyms

roam

American

[rohm] / roʊm /

verb (used without object)

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)

to wander over or through.

to roam the countryside.

noun

an act or instance of roaming; a ramble.

roam British

/ rəʊm /

verb

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

the act of roaming

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

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

roamer noun
unroaming adjective

Etymology

Origin of roam

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

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.

He remembers roaming through the grasslands on the city's edges where he found birds, frogs and snakes.

From BBC

This licence to roam and interact with each other with more freedom is a big change from what we've seen from City in the past and there are a few reasons for this change.

From BBC

The jockeying has divided Rarotonga, where chickens and dogs roam freely, and buildings aren’t allowed to be bigger than the tallest coconut trees.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ben Martill often gazes out of his window to watch the deer roaming below.

From BBC

The authority investigated but said the cats were not governed by the same roaming laws as dogs and livestock and they had visited the cats' owner to check they had access to litter trays.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023