wander

[ won-der ]

/ ˈwɒn dər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wander ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

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.

to extend in an irregular course or direction: Foothills wandered off to the south.

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.

to stray from a path, place, companions, etc.: During the storm the ship wandered from its course.

to deviate in conduct, belief, etc.; err; go astray: Let me not wander from Thy Commandments.

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)

to travel about, on, or through: He wandered the streets.

noun

Mechanics. the drift of a gyroscope or a similar device.

Nearby words

wanchancy, wanchüan, wand, wand reader, wanda, wander, wander plug, wanderer, wandering, wandering abscess, wandering albatross

Origin of wander

before 900; Middle English wandren, Old English wandrian (cognate with German wandern), frequentative of wendan to wend; see -er⁶

SYNONYMS FOR wander

1 range, stroll.

2 saunter.

6 swerve, veer.

8 ramble, rave.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wander ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

wan·der·er, nounout·wan·der, verb (used with object)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for wander

Finally, I have to wander slightly off brief with my last two recommendations.
Doctors Can Write More Than Prescriptions: The Best Books by Doctors|Gabriel Weston|August 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One can even rent out the villa here or wander down from the Arc de Triomphe and peek through the fence.
Paris’s Secret Fashion Week Haunts|Liza Foreman|July 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Of all the war-torn eras in the all the history of the world, why, Frank Miller and Zack Snyder, did you have to wander into mine?
‘300’ Is a Misleading, Muscle-Bound Travesty of Ancient History|James Romm|March 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Guests snatch up the eccentric-looking drinks that line the bar as they wander around before the performance.
A Mad Feast Is the Next 'Sleep No More'|Nina Strochlic|February 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

In Jordan, in Kuwait, in Turkey, not even a dog could wander into Iraq, but from Der ez-Sour we went where we wanted.
The Fourth War: My Lunch with a Jihadi|Elliot Ackerman|January 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"I would rather you did not wander on the moor so late at night," Mildred Caniper said.
Moor Fires|E. H. (Emily Hilda) Young
Crossing the square where the Tacon theatre and circus stand, I wander through the narrow, ill-paved streets of the Cuban capital.
The Pearl of the Antilles, or An Artist in Cuba|Walter Goodman
It is dangerous to wander in fairyland, as Chesterton has himself demonstrated, "one might meet a fairy."
G. K. Chesterton, A Critical Study|Julius West
Why should we be of the tribe of Manasseh when we can wander with Esau?
Leigh Hunt's Relations with Byron, Shelley and Keats|Barnette Miller
Know this, and your thoughts will never want matter to be employed on; nor will they be suffered to wander much abroad.
A Christian Directory (Volume 1 of 4)|Richard Baxter

British Dictionary definitions for wander

wander

/ (ˈwɒndə) /

verb (mainly intr)

(also tr) to move or travel about, in, or through (a place) without any definite purpose or destination

to proceed in an irregular course; meander

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

the act or an instance of wandering

Derived Forms

wanderer, nounwandering, adjective, nounwanderingly, adverb

Word Origin for wander

Old English wandrian; related to Old Frisian wandria, Middle Dutch, Middle High German wanderen

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