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.
-
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.
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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)
-
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
-
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
-
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:
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
I would wander in with my perfectly sized tote, allow whatever charmed me to determine dinner and wait for the ingredients to organize themselves.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
Most of Aviv’s characters wander through life uneasily, plagued by misdiagnosed, undiagnosable or undertreated maladies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
They wander through a tent full of mist, encountering creatures made out of paper.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
As disturbing is what becomes of the narrator himself, who seems nearly comatose as he wanders the streets of Jerusalem in an endless search for the still-missing Gavriel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
As he poured the traditional cup of wine for the prophet, Rabbi Aft reminded his community that Elijah wanders the earth disguised as a stranger, testing humanity’s capacity for hospitality, compassion and kindness.
From Salon ● Jun. 1, 2026
At 100, Attenborough no longer wanders the world's jungles and deserts.
From Barron's ● May 6, 2026
It can stay still for hours, striking only when prey wanders too close.
From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2026
Adam wanders to the side of the bed, pulling me along behind him like a mindless puppet, and shuffles his hand around the end table.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
Gudrun Schumann, 72, a retired physician who wandered past the rally, said she understood the AfD appeals to voters angry over mounting problems with healthcare, education and the cost of living.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
The cross-Cabinet pet diplomacy apparently goes both ways: The Rubios’ goldendoodle has wandered into the Hegseth home.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
Two clients wandered into Luis Fonseca’s tiny barbershop.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
One day in 2021, the couple had left the front door of their restored 1887 Monrovia home open and Baker wandered in uninvited.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Cooks and servants of the garrison picked over the goods, demanding better prices while soldiers wandered in and out of the main gate with bored expressions, rarely stopping to look at the merchandise.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
In video clips, Dion is seen wandering in a desert.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
A yellow banner down the block announced an upcoming ceremony, when the gates of the underworld are said to open and the living burn offerings for the wandering dead.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
“I kept kind of moving around with my arms outstretched and I almost got hit by a car wandering into the street,” he wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Murphy was first spotted living beneath a bush before wandering into the car park of The Old Windmill pub in the city centre, "rake thin" and in need of care.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
She set off down a shadowed path, wandering alone past obelisks, stone angels, and granite buildings in this city of the dead.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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.
