wonder
verb (used without object)
to think or speculate curiously.
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wonder
American
[wuhn-der]
/ ˈwʌn dər /
verb (used without object)
-
wonders,
present (3rd person singular)
-
wondered,
past participle, past
-
wondering
present participle
-
to think or speculate curiously.
to wonder about the origin of the solar system.
- Synonyms:
- question, ponder, meditate, conjecture
-
to be filled with admiration, amazement, or awe; marvel (often followed byat ).
He wondered at her composure in such a crisis.
-
to doubt.
I wonder if she'll really get here.
verb (used with object)
-
wonders,
present (3rd person singular)
-
wondered,
past participle, past
-
wondering
present participle
-
to speculate curiously or be curious about; be curious to know.
to wonder what happened.
-
to feel wonder at.
I wonder that you went.
- Synonyms:
- marvel
noun
-
wonders
plural
-
something strange and surprising; a cause of surprise, astonishment, or admiration.
That building is a wonder. It is a wonder he declined such an offer.
-
the emotion excited by what is strange and surprising; a feeling of surprised or puzzled interest, sometimes tinged with admiration.
He felt wonder at seeing the Grand Canyon.
- Synonyms:
- awe, bewilderment, amazement, astonishment, surprise
-
miraculous deed or event; remarkable phenomenon.
idioms
wonder
1
British
/ ˈwʌndə /
noun
-
the feeling excited by something strange; a mixture of surprise, curiosity, and sometimes awe
-
something that causes such a feeling, such as a miracle
-
(modifier) exciting wonder by virtue of spectacular results achieved, feats performed, etc
a wonder drug
a wonder horse
-
to achieve spectacularly fine results
-
surprisingly or amazingly
-
a subject that arouses general surprise or public interest for a short time
-
(sentence connector) (I am) not surprised at all (that)
no wonder he couldn't come
-
(sentence connector) (I am) hardly surprised (that)
small wonder he couldn't make it tonight
verb
-
to indulge in speculative inquiry, often accompanied by an element of doubt (concerning something)
I wondered about what she said
I wonder what happened
-
to be amazed (at something)
I wonder at your impudence
Wonder
2
British
/ ˈwʌndə /
noun
wonder
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
wondersimple
-
wonderssimple
-
have wonderedperfect
-
has wonderedperfect
-
am wonderingprogressive
-
are wonderingprogressive
-
is wonderingprogressive
-
have been wonderingperfect progressive
-
has been wonderingperfect progressive
Past
-
wonderedsimple
-
had wonderedperfect
-
was wonderingprogressive
-
were wonderingprogressive
-
had been wonderingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of wonder
First recorded before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English wundor; cognate with Dutch wonder, German Wunder, Old Norse undr; (verb) Middle English wonderen, Old English wundrian, derivative of the noun
Explanation
When you wonder about something, you want to learn more about it. You wonder why the car is making that noise so you ask the mechanic to explain it. Wonder comes from the Old English word wundor, which means "marvelous thing, the object of astonishment." For example, the Taj Mahal is one of the great wonders of the world, so beautiful and magical. But wonders are all around us — anything that amazes and marvels is a wonder, like high-definition television, the Internet, your mom's homemade pizza — though we tend to forget this because we are used to them.
Vocabulary lists containing wonder
Michelle Obama's Speech at the 2016 DNC
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"The Tragedy of Macbeth," Vocabulary from Act 1
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"LAFFF"
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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:
I wonder if I will ever see anything quite so egregious again.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
Because CRH receptor 1 is found on OPCs even when no injury is present, Ries and Deussing began to wonder whether the receptor might also influence myelination during normal brain development.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
Sometimes I wonder what would happen if he didn’t wake up.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
But it soon began curving around the Arctic Ocean arriving in Iceland in the early evening before sweeping southwards to treat the UK to part of its wonder.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
I’d stuffed it there two hours ago so I could concentrate on my homework rather than wonder why it was taking him so long to text me, when he’s had my number for hours.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
For example: When music legend Stevie Wonder phoned to congratulate Starr on a Grammy nomination, she goaded him into a playful argument about zodiac signs.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Wonder sees a particularly big opportunity in delivering oven-ready meals via drones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
One piece I remember was his re-creation of the Stevie Wonder album cover for “Hotter than July.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
In April, his production company Wonder Project launched a joint venture called Innovative Dreams with Luma, a rival to Runway.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
“Still, that there’s a Wonder, ain’t it? A Wonder of the World.”
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
A woman wonders about the continuity of all things, musing “In the distance over the horizon, that freeway just keeps going and going; it’s all connected.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
As for Major, he wonders how another political sea change could affect his business.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Forced to leave their smartphones off campus, Afghan university students are divided over whether the new anti-tech rule has disrupted their studies or done wonders for their concentration.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
The tiny fish have a voracious appetite and work wonders as natural mosquito-control agents in abandoned swimming pools, small residential ponds, and other confined aquatic habitats.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
She considered herself a passionate observer who strived to understand the wonders God had created.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
But Yangskit says she had a strange sense of foreboding that night: "I wondered if I was ever going to see him again."
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
I froze and wondered if he sensed my fight-or-flight response.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Ahead of SpaceX’s historic IPO in June, I wondered how many investors out there thought they had exposure to the rocket maker but actually didn’t.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Somewhere in the middle, the rest of us wondered how absorbing such horror would change us, whether as individuals or as a society.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
Torak wondered if it was the clan guardian.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
"Since yesterday we've been wondering what will become of our lives," 38-year-old housewife Gloria Giraldo, whose neighborhood had tumbled around her, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
My inbox was full of fans wondering where their favorite wrist-computer was in my testing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
Even on set, a background person would approach her, wondering if there’s any more plain bagels at craft service.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
"I was lying there, wondering what I was going to do this afternoon. Now I know," he joked.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
The neighbors are probably already wondering about us, having seen a cop at our door.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
