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.
-
(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
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wandersimple
-
wanderssimple
-
have wanderedperfect
-
has wanderedperfect
-
am wanderingprogressive
-
are wanderingprogressive
-
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:
Delivery can wander toward $60 before tip with insulting ease.
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026
But my eyes wander — I like to see who’s in the audience and what’s going on.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
When the power cuts out after dark in Vientiane, families wander outside to avoid the stifling heat indoors, using cell phones to light their way.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
The sight of the Williams sisters back on court together at the US Open - possibly for the final time - commanded ultimate respect from a chatty crowd known to let their attention wander.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
But if I’m not biting at their heels, they just wander off to play.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
“It sets him on a journey as he wanders through his Rust Belt town,” Coury said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
The Earth’s center of mass wanders as ice sheets melt and water shifts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Chip falls in with a troupe of street performers, evades the police, juggles along the Seine and eventually wanders into a smoky bar, where Penelope is strumming her guitar.
From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026
At 100, Attenborough no longer wanders the world's jungles and deserts.
From Barron's ● May 6, 2026
My mom wanders in for some ice—yes, she drinks her champagne with ice.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
ITHACA, N.Y.—On a drizzly Thursday, Cornell University students wandered into consulting recruitment sessions, hustled up the slopes to midterms and listened to a Pulitzer-winning fiction writer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Hammond is ebullience and warmth personified but her co-presenter, the erstwhile Mighty Boosh comedian Fielding, still looks a bit lost, as if he has wandered in from the wrong set.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
Twelve years later, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wandered directly into the bit.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
Other uncommon marine animals have wandered into California waters this year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
They checked to make certain that Sam's worm box was safely situated on its table, and then wandered over to look at the goldfish in a bowl nearby.
From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry
As the song played, people from neighboring studios, including hip-hop producers and other musicians, began wandering in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
Our narrator, one of the wandering statues, recounts the group’s escape plan, peppering his speech with nonsensical, knock-off Latin words.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
And, with the museum’s dim lighting, dated technology and underutilized areas, it can feel at times as if one is wandering in a past-its-prime shopping mall or in the forgotten corner of an airport terminal.
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026
In video clips, Dion is seen wandering in a desert.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
It was as if he, like the wandering souls he ushered, had traveled into the glowing embrace of the Afterlife.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
