wander

American  

[won-der] / ˈwɒn dər /

verb (used without object)

1. to ramble without a definite purpose or objective; roam, rove, or stray.

   to wander over the earth.

   Synonyms:

   stroll, range

2. to go aimlessly, indirectly, or casually; meander.

   The river wanders among the rocks.

   Synonyms:

   saunter

3. to extend in an irregular course or direction.

   Foothills wandered off to the south.

4. to move, pass, or turn idly, as the hand or the eyes.

5. (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.

6. to stray from a path, place, companions, etc..

   During the storm the ship wandered from its course.

   Synonyms:

   veer, swerve

7. to deviate in conduct, belief, etc.; err; go astray.

   Let me not wander from Thy Commandments.

8. to think or speak confusedly or incoherently.

   Synonyms:

   rave, ramble

9. (of a person with a mental disorder or cognitive impairment) to move about or walk in a seemingly aimless or random manner.

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verb (used with object)

1. to travel about, on, or through.

   He wandered the streets.

noun

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

wander British  

/ ˈwɒndə /

verb

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

2. to proceed in an irregular course; meander

3. to go astray, as from a path or course

4. (of the mind, thoughts, etc) to lose concentration or direction

5. to think or speak incoherently or illogically

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noun

1. the act or an instance of wandering

Other Word Forms

• outwander verb (used with object)
• wanderer noun
• wandering adjective
• wanderingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of wander

First recorded before 900; Middle English wandren, Old English wandrian “to wend repeatedly” (cognate with German wandern ), from wendan; wend

Example Sentences

I like to just sit and let my mind wander.

From The Wall Street Journal

"With the look of the wolf - as we've seen with the Preston three - if you get one wandering, you get mass hysteria."

From BBC

In some ways, we can do just that — even if it’s not quite as fun as watching Ted Sarandos wander around in a thunderstorm.

From Salon

Fern had been spotted wandering around for weeks, probably foraging for food, but no-one could get near.

From BBC

Chris Bailey is aware that we live in a distracted age, with shrinking attention spans and minds prone to wander.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• amble
• cruise
• drift
• float
• hike
• meander
• ramble
• roam
• saunter
• straggle
• stray
• stroll
• traipse
• trek