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wander definition

wan·der (wän′dər)

intransitive verb

  1. to move or go about aimlessly, without plan or fixed destination; ramble; roam
  2. to go to a destination in a casual way or by an indirect route; idle; stroll
    1. to turn aside or astray (from a path, course, etc.); lose one's way
    2. to stray from home, friends, familiar places, etc.: often with off
  4. to go astray in mind or purpose; specif.,
    1. to drift away from a subject, as in discussion; stray or roam in thought
    2. to turn away from accepted belief or morals
    3. to be disjointed, disordered, incoherent, etc.
  5. to pass or extend in an irregular course; meander, as a river
  6. to move idly from one object to another: said of the eyes, a glance, the hands, etc.

Etymology: ME wandren < OE wandrian, akin to Ger wandern, akin ? to wend, wind

transitive verb

to roam through, in, or over without plan or destination to wander the world

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

wander Synonyms

wander

v.

  1. To stroll

    hike, ramble, saunter; see roam, walk 1.

  2. To speak or think incoherently

    stray, shift, digress; see ramble 2.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

wander Usage Examples

Object

  • minstrel: There were traveling merchants together with fortune tellers, ballad singers and wandering minstrels.

Preposition: at

  • will: Here we are free to shop, to visit the museum or just wander at will.

Preposition: through

  • maze: You're wandering through a cavernous, low-ceilinged maze, discovering new areas and bars at every turn.

Modifying Another Word

  • aimlessly: People wander aimlessly about these ruins - you'll never be alone here.

Followed by an intransitive particle

  • around: He wandered around with a very sad frown on his face.

Followed by a transitive particle

  • around: Never wander around the back streets of the island's cities at night.

Used with why or when

  • wherever: Great wildlife begins right outside the door and you can wander wherever you like.

Preposition: in

  • wilderness: There were forty years of wandering in the wilderness following the exodus, for example.
wander usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

wander quotes

I strongly wish for what I faintly hope: Like the day-dreams of melancholy men, I think and thinkon things impossible, Yet love to wander in that golden maze.

-Dryden,John

wander quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"wander." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/wander>

APA Style

wander. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/wander

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