wonder
verb (used without object)
to think or speculate curiously.
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Trivia Time
What Wonder of the Ancient World was granted honorary status on the New Seven Wonders list?
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:
You have to wonder if he’ll lose a bit of the arrogance, if the space between Watters’ segments and the network’s chosen tack will grow even wider.
From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026
"I have to wonder if they even have Google Maps at the prefecture when they authorise routes like this."
From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026
“Wait, wait, last month I had 19 medicinals, 10 bleedings and 24 enemas. Well, no wonder I don’t feel as well this month as I did last.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Meanwhile, the audience will wonder if the sentimental pummeling will ever end.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
“It’s very alluring. I wonder if we couldn’t come up with one or two of our own designs and get production started on them? Or take them on order.”
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
But after Meta’s recent launch of its frontier-level Wonder models and the viral success of Muse, Wall Street seems to believe that the cash burn is more than justified.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026
Since then, their music has appeared in films like Wonder Woman and video games such as League of Legends.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
“Drag Race” production house World of Wonder said in an Instagram post on Tuesday the team is “devastated” to learn about the loss.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
“Lucian left behind a legacy of truly beautiful music,” World of Wonder said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
“Well, I’ve found the seventh Wonder. Maybe not of the whole world … but it’s the Seventh Wonder of Sassafras Springs for sure.”
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
She wonders whether her performance as Holmes is instructive, destructive, or some form of both.
From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026
Not all of us are like the eighth wonders of the world — Aretha Franklin or Chaka Khan or Whitney Houston.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
On “Heal My Faith,” the rapper who first gained mainstream attention by lighting the pop chart’s sacred cows afire wonders why we can’t all just get along.
From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2026
Mr. Kessler wonders if planes will need talking and nontalking sections, like quiet cars on trains, and asks, “How about common decency instead?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
“What more did you want? I said love and wonders, didn’t I?”
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
If you wondered where the panel-banging budget went, it’s here.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026
He initially wondered whether someone carrying a long gun was playing a prank.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
Despite the polite crowd at my screening, I wondered if questionable theater etiquette came into play elsewhere.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026
College administrators also wondered if it wouldn’t be better to have a women’s soccer team, given the demographics of the San Fernando Valley.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026
For probably the millionth time in my life, I wondered why everyone else got watertight brains, while mine was apparently Swiss cheese.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
"We are now wondering whether other asteroids have the same isotopic signature as Bennu and Ryugu," Schönbächler goes on to state.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
The Brewers haven’t appeared in the World Series in 44 years, and owner Mark Attanasio said nervous fans already are wondering whether their next appearance will be 44 years away.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
Many will be wondering whether he should even start in Sunday's game against Bournemouth.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
I’m naturally skeptical and wondering whether this is a common scam or a bait-and-switch tactic.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026
“I was just wondering if you’re competing in the sim test tomorrow.”
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
