wanderings meaning and sentence

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Definition of wander

intransitive verb

transitive verb

• gad (about)
• galavant
• kick around
• knock (about)

wander , roam , ramble , rove , traipse , meander mean to go about from place to place usually without a plan or definite purpose.

wander implies an absence of or an indifference to a fixed course.

roam suggests wandering about freely and often far afield.

ramble stresses carelessness and indifference to one's course or objective.

rove suggests vigorous and sometimes purposeful roaming.

traipse implies a course that is erratic but may sometimes be purposeful.

meander implies a winding or intricate course suggestive of aimless or listless wandering.

Examples of wander in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wander.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Middle English wandren , from Old English wandrian ; akin to Middle High German wandern to wander, Old English windan to wind, twist

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing wander

• go for a wander
• have / take a wander

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Dictionary Entries Near wander

wand bearer

Cite this Entry

“Wander.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wander. Accessed 31 Aug. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of wander, more from merriam-webster on wander.

Nglish: Translation of wander for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of wander for Arabic Speakers

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adjective as in meandering

Strongest matches

Strong matches

adjective as in nomadic

Strongest match

adjective as in itinerant

Weak matches

Example Sentences

Later, information emerged that this sea lion is known for its wanderings.

This is counter-intuitive because spontaneous fluctuations and mind-wandering can also lead to depressive rumination and anxiety.

Similar to playing and dreaming is the wandering of our minds.

When psychologists do that, they find that mind-wandering is staggeringly frequent.

Mind-wandering is often considered a harmless quirk, as in the cliché of the scatter-brained professor.

Mr. Bachner found it by wandering through the market and identified a craftsmen here who works in a tiny booth.

And, in a gratuitous show of homicidal prowess, Moses kills two assassins he meets while wandering in the desert of Sinai.

After wandering at haphazard some little way I met a peasant in a sleigh.

He showed signs of a restless, wandering soul, someone searching for meaning around him.

I spotted American students wandering around London last week dressed in Stars and Stripes shorts and bikini tops.

She observed his pale looks, and the distracted wandering of his eyes; but she would not notice either.

This mode of learning promotes attention and prevents mind-wandering.

He paled a little, and sucked his lip, his eyes wandering to the girl, who stood in stolid inapprehension of what was being said.

John and Judas became the good and evil Wandering Jews of mediæval folklore.

He was relieved to learn that his grandson Moses Mole was not wandering about the garden, after all.

Related Words

Words related to wandering are not direct synonyms, but are associated with the word wandering . Browse related words to learn more about word associations.

noun as in different from that expected

• irregularity

adjective as in having no goal

• any which way
• bits and pieces
• directionless
• fits and starts
• hit-or-miss
• indiscriminate
• purposeless
• thoughtless
• unpredictable

adjective, adverb as in off the path or right direction

• off the mark

adjective as in having disordered thoughts and delusions

• flipped-out
• hallucinatory
• lightheaded
• off one's head
• out of one's head
• out of one's skull
• unreasonable

noun as in deviation from normal, expected

• branching off
• branching out
• declination
• latest thing
• new wrinkle

Viewing 5 / 60 related words

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Meaning of wandering in English

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wander verb ( MOVE AROUND )

• walk The baby has just learned to walk.
• stride She strode purposefully up to the desk and demanded to speak to the manager.
• march He marched right in to the office and demanded to see the governor.
• stroll We strolled along the beach.
• wander She wandered from room to room, not sure of what she was looking for.
• amble She ambled down the street, looking in shop windows.
• crawl There'd been a bad accident on the motorway and traffic was crawling.
• trundle Lorries trundle through the narrow lanes.
• creep He crept downstairs, hardly making any noise.
• trudge They trudged wearily through the snow.
• stroll We spent the afternoon strolling around Budapest.
• amble He ambled over to the window.
• Don't worry if you lose hold of the reins - the horse won't wander off.
• He wandered around, clearing up in a desultory way.
• We wandered along the shore , stepping over the flotsam that had washed up in the night .
• We wandered through the beautifully proportioned rooms of the Winter Palace.
• She was wandering around in a daze this morning .
• His eyes wandered over the posters adorning the walls .
• dumbwalking

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

wander verb ( SUBJECT )

• bury the lede idiom
• candy coating
• candy-coated
• circumlocution
• circumlocutory
• get on to/onto something
• gloss over something
• go off on a tangent idiom
• prevaricate
• tiptoe around something/someone
• unexpressed

Related word

Word of the Day

skip out on something

to avoid doing something that you should do; to leave someone when they need your help

It’s not really my thing (How to say you don’t like something)

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Wander vs. Wonder: How To Use Each Word

• Wonder Vs. Wander

⚡ Quick summary

The verb wander (pronounced [ won -der ]) typically means “to roam” or “to meander.” The word wonder (pronounced [ wuhn -der ]) is typically used as a verb to mean “to think curiously,” “to be amazed,” or “to doubt.” As a noun, it’s used to mean “something strange and surprising,” “a miraculous deed or event,” or “the emotion excited by what is strange and surprising.”   

The words wander and wonder look very similar, but they have very different meanings and uses. 

In this article, we will define wander and wonder , explain how we use them differently, and provide example sentences that show how we typically use them in sentences. 

wonder  vs. wander

The word wonder (pronounced [ wuhn -der ]) is used as a verb and a noun. As a verb, it typically means “to think curiously,” “to be amazed,” or “to doubt.” 

For example:

• I wonder what will happen at the party this weekend. 
• They wondered at the amazing acrobatics of the circus performers.
• I wonder if Oscar can really speak Spanish like he claims. 

Wonder is also used as a noun to mean “something strange and surprising,” “a miraculous deed or event,” or “the emotion excited by what is strange and surprising.” 

• The collection was filled with wonders from around the world. 
• The magician was able to perform such wonders as turning dirt into gold. 
• We were filled with wonder as we watched the firework show. 

Go Behind The Words!

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The word wander (pronounced [ won -der ]) is typically used as a verb to mean “to move about without a set path, to roam,” “to follow a circuitous route, to meander,” and “to take a direction without conscious intent, as with thoughts,” as well as several other similar meanings. 

• She wandered through the woods for a while before she found a lake.
• The story started out good, but then it wandered off into a confusing mess. 
• He was so bored that his mind began to wander into thoughts of lunch.

It is possible to use the word wander as a noun, but this usage is rare. Instead, the noun sense of wandering is much more likely to be used. By contrast, both the noun and verb sense of wonder are commonly used.  

Examples of wander and wonder in a sentence

Let’s amble into some amazing sentences that show how we typically use wander and wonder .

• They got lost on the way to the pool and wandered into the sauna. 
• As a kid, I always wondered about how different machines worked.
• The president wandered off on a tangent about pizza before getting back to his speech. 
• The wizard’s tower was full of magical wonders, including a flying carpet. 
• We were full of wonder as we wandered through the science museum.

Don't wander off course when learning how to distinguish "coarse" from "course."

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[ ker- pluhngk ]

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Definition of 'wandering'

wandering in American English

Examples of 'wandering' in a sentence wandering, cobuild collocations wandering, trends of wandering.

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Browse alphabetically wandering

• wander the halls
• wander the streets
• wandering albatross
• wandering mind
• All ENGLISH words that begin with 'W'

Related terms of wandering

• wandering Jew
• wandering minstrel
• View more related words

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Definition of wander noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

• I went to the park and had a wander around.

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