Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To move about without a definite destination or purpose.
- intransitive verb To go by an indirect route or at no set pace; amble.
- intransitive verb To proceed in an irregular course; meander.
- intransitive verb To behave in a manner that does not conform to morality or norms.
- intransitive verb To turn the attention from one subject to another with little clarity or coherence of thought.
- intransitive verb To be directed without an object or in various directions.
- intransitive verb To wander across or through.
- intransitive verb To be directed around or over.
- noun The act or an instance of wandering.
from The Century Dictionary.
- In physical chemistry, to move hither and thither in every direction: said of the molecules of a liquid or of the molecules of two miscible liquids in contact with each other.
- To ramble with out, or as if without, any certain course or object in view; travel or move from place to place; range about; roam; rove; stroll; stray.
- To leave home or a settled place of abode; depart; migrate.
- To depart from any settled course; go astray, as from the paths of duty; stray; de viate; err.
- To lose one's way; be lost.
- To think or speak incoherently; rave; be de lirious.
- Synonyms 1-3. Roam, Rove, etc. (see
ramble ), straggle. - Swerve, digress.
- To travel over without a cer tain course; stroll through; traverse.
- To lead astray; cause to lose the way or become lost.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- intransitive verb To ramble here and there without any certain course or with no definite object in view; to range about; to stroll; to rove.
- intransitive verb To go away; to depart; to stray off; to deviate; to go astray.
- intransitive verb To be delirious; not to be under the guidance of reason; to rave.
- transitive verb rare To travel over without a certain course; to traverse; to stroll through.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb intransitive To move without purpose; often in search of
livelihood . - verb intransitive To
stray ; stray from one's course;err . - verb intransitive To commit
adultery . - verb intransitive To go somewhere indirectly or at varying speeds; to move in a curved path.
- verb intransitive Of the mind, to lose focus or clarity of argument or attention.
- noun The act or instance of
wandering .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course
- verb move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
- verb lose clarity or turn aside especially from the main subject of attention or course of argument in writing, thinking, or speaking
- verb be sexually unfaithful to one's partner in marriage
- verb go via an indirect route or at no set pace
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word wander.
Examples
-
Not even a coach likely destined for the Hall of Fame, Bill Parcells, could help the Cowboys wander from the playoff desert in four seasons as head coach, losing twice.
Drought is over: Cowboys beat Eagles; 1st playoff win since '96 2010
-
And then there's always that old Communion hymn with the line, "We pray for those who wander from the fold/O bring them back, Good Shepherd of the sheep/Back to the Faith which saints believed of old,/Back to the Church, which still that Faith doth keep."
A bit more on Holy Communion and non-Catholic Christians 2009
-
Letting my mind wander is usually when I have the best ideas.
How to Squeeze Writing Inspiration from Every Experience | Write to Done 2009
-
The goal is to win converts, that is people who will wander from the literary fiction aisle of B&N to the Fantasy & Sci-Fi section.
MIND MELD: The Perfect SF/F/H Books to Give to People Who Don't Read SF/F/H 2009
-
I feared to wander from the sight of my fellow-creatures, lest when alone he should come to claim his companion.
Chapter 2 2010
-
Letting my mind wander is usually when I have the best ideas.
How to Squeeze Writing Inspiration from Every Experience | Write to Done 2009
-
I feared to wander from the sight of my fellow-creatures, lest when alone he should come to claim his companion.
Chapter 19 2010
-
He let his gaze wander from the ordered stacks of papers on his desk to the expanse of woodland visible through the loft window.
365 tomorrows » 2008 » February : A New Free Flash Fiction SciFi Story Every Day 2008
-
Are we to wander is some strange wilderness, aimlessly without direction.
Roberts: White House says 'not the Scott McClellan we knew' 2008
-
But the only place my eyes can wander is to the nylon displays a few yards away.
Writing Exercise 2002
factoryjoe commented on the word wander
This will be the name of my first child.
March 25, 2008
factoryjoe commented on the word wander
"To move among one's resources, being receptive to alternative sources and new search ideas triggered by the materials that come into view. In our field … one may hypothesis that to WANDER promotes serendipity and enables useful sources that would not otherwise be discovered."
-Bates, 1979a
March 25, 2008
bmevans commented on the word wander
maybe all that futzing will pay off!
March 25, 2008
yarb commented on the word wander
Have you seen that movie, A Fish Called Wander?
March 25, 2008
frindley commented on the word wander
I wonder as I wander out into the mall
What I shall buy Jenny and Brian and all
Something unique, yes, but something that's small
I wonder as I wander out into the mall
I really should've done this a full month ago
It's so hard to shop when we're moving so slow
And where's the inspiration I just do not know
I really should've done this a full month ago
A Shopping Carol, with apologies to John Jacob Niles
December 21, 2008
reesetee commented on the word wander
Heehee!
December 22, 2008
Logophile77 commented on the word wander
"...Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love..."
January 10, 2018