Wander definition |Dictionary.com

Related Searches

on Ask.com

not all who wander are lost

not all who wander are lost tolkien

what is apparent polar wander

wander guard for dementia patients

langston hughes poems

what is baseline wander

wander by susan hart lindquist

the big wander

i wonder as i wander lyrics

polar wander explained

polar wander curve

quote all who wander are not lost

Browse Nearby Entries

wander

6 dictionary results for: Wander

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

wan·der

[won-der] Pronunciation Key

–verb (used without object)

1.	to ramble without a definite purpose or objective; roam, rove, or stray: to wander over the earth.

2.	to go aimlessly, indirectly, or casually; meander: The river wanders among the rocks.

3.	to extend in an irregular course or direction: Foothills wandered off to the south.

4.	to move, pass, or turn idly, as the hand or the eyes.

5.	(of the mind, thoughts, desires, etc.) to take one direction or another without conscious intent or control: His attention wandered as the speaker droned on.

6.	to stray from a path, place, companions, etc.: During the storm the ship wandered from its course.

7.	to deviate in conduct, belief, etc.; err; go astray: Let me not wander from Thy Commandments.

8.	to think or speak confusedly or incoherently.

–verb (used with object)

9.	to travel about, on, or through: He wandered the streets.

–noun

10.	Mechanics. the drift of a gyroscope or a similar device.

[Origin: bef. 900; ME wandren, OE wandrian (c. G wandern), freq. of wendan to wend; see -er⁶

]

—Related forms

wan·der·er, noun

—Synonyms 1. range, stroll. 2. saunter. 6. swerve, veer. 8. ramble, rave.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

wan·der   (wŏn'dər) Pronunciation Key
v.   wan·dered, wan·der·ing, wan·ders

v.   intr.

To move about without a definite destination or purpose.
To go by an indirect route or at no set pace; amble: wander toward town.
To proceed in an irregular course; meander.
To go astray: wander from the path of righteousness.
To lose clarity or coherence of thought or expression.

v. tr.
To wander across or through: wander the forests and fields.

n. The act or an instance of wandering; a stroll.

[Middle English wanderen, from Old English wandrian.]

wan'der·er n., wan'der·ing·ly adv.

Synonyms: These verbs mean to move about at random or without destination or purpose. Wander and ramble stress the absence of a fixed course or goal: wandered down the hall lost in thought. "They would go off together, rambling along the river" (John Galsworthy).
Roam and rove emphasize freedom of movement, often over a wide area: "Herds of horses and cattle roamed at will over the plain" (George W. Cable). "For ten long years I roved about, living first in one capital, then another" (Charlotte Brontë).
Range suggests wandering in all directions: "a large hunting party known to be ranging the prairie" (Francis Parkman).
Meander suggests leisurely wandering over an irregular or winding course: "He meandered to and fro . . . observing the manners and customs of Hillport society" (Arnold Bennett).
Stray refers to deviation from a proper course: "I ask pardon, I am straying from the question" (Oliver Goldsmith).
Gallivant refers to wandering in search of pleasure: gallivanted all over the city during our visit.
Gad suggests restlessness: gadded about unaccompanied in foreign places.

(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
wander

O.E. wandrian "move about aimlessly, wander," from W.Gmc. *wandrojan (cf. O.Fris. wondria, M.L.G., M.Du. wanderen, Ger. wandern "to wander," a variant form of the root represented in O.H.G. wantalon "to walk, wander"), from base *wend- "to turn" (see wind (v.)). In ref. to the mind, affections, etc., attested from c.1400. The Wandering Jew of Christian legend first mentioned 13c. (cf. Fr. le juif errant, Ger. der ewige Jude).

CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

wander
verb
1.	move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment; "The gypsies roamed the woods"; "roving vagabonds"; "the wandering Jew"; "The cattle roam across the prairie"; "the laborers drift from one town to the next"; "They rolled from town to town"
2.	be sexually unfaithful to one's partner in marriage; "She cheats on her husband"; "Might her husband be wandering?" [syn: cheat on]
3.	go via an indirect route or at no set pace; "After dinner, we wandered into town"
4.	to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course; "the river winds through the hills"; "the path meanders through the vineyards"; "sometimes, the gout wanders through the entire body" [syn: weave]
5.	lose clarity or turn aside especially from the main subject of attention or course of argument in writing, thinking, or speaking; "She always digresses when telling a story"; "her mind wanders"; "Don't digress when you give a lecture" [syn: digress]

CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Wander

Wan"der\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Wandered; p. pr. & vb. n. Wandering.] [OE. wandren, wandrien, AS. wandrian; akin to G. wandern to wander; fr. AS. windan to turn. See Wind to turn.]

1. To ramble here and there without any certain course or with no definite object in view; to range about; to stroll; to rove; as, to wander over the fields.

They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins. --Heb. xi. 37.

He wandereth abroad for bread. --Job xv. 23.

2. To go away; to depart; to stray off; to deviate; to go astray; as, a writer wanders from his subject.

When God caused me to wander from my father's house. --Gen. xx. 13.

O, let me not wander from thy commandments. --Ps. cxix. 10.

3. To be delirious; not to be under the guidance of reason; to rave; as, the mind wanders.

Syn: To roam; rove; range; stroll; gad; stray; straggly; err; swerve; deviate; depart.

CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Wander

Wan"der\, v. t. To travel over without a certain course; to traverse; to stroll through. [R.] "[Elijah] wandered this barren waste." --Milton.

CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Link to Us · Report Ad · Contact Us