meaning for wanderings

• Dictionaries home
• American English
• Collocations
• German-English
• Grammar home
• Practical English Usage
• Learn & Practise Grammar (Beta)
• Word Lists home
• My Word Lists
• Recent additions
• Resources home
• Text Checker

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

• His wanderings took him first to India.

Definitions on the go

Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.

Nearby words

• Daily Crossword
• Word Puzzle
• Word Finder

Word of the Day

• Synonym of the Day
• Word of the Year
• Language stories
• All featured
• Gender and sexuality
• All pop culture
• Grammar Coach ™
• Writing hub
• Grammar essentials
• Commonly confused
• All writing tips
• Pop culture
• Writing tips

Advertisement

[ won -der ]

verb (used without object)

to wander over the earth.

Synonyms: stroll , range

The river wanders among the rocks.

Synonyms: saunter

Foothills wandered off to the south.

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

His attention wandered as the speaker droned on.

During the storm the ship wandered from its course.

Synonyms: veer , swerve

Let me not wander from Thy Commandments.

Synonyms: rave , ramble

• (of a person with a mental disorder or cognitive impairment) to move about or walk in a seemingly aimless or random manner.

verb (used with object)

He wandered the streets.

• Mechanics. the drift of a gyroscope or a similar device.
• also tr to move or travel about, in, or through (a place) without any definite purpose or destination
• to proceed in an irregular course; meander
• to go astray, as from a path or course
• (of the mind, thoughts, etc) to lose concentration or direction
• to think or speak incoherently or illogically
• the act or an instance of wandering

Discover More

Derived forms.

• ˈwanderer , noun
• ˈwanderingly , adverb
• ˈwandering , adjective noun

Other Words From

• wander·er noun
• outwander verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of wander 1

Example Sentences

If there’s no Wander Walk in the neighborhood, your kids can create something similar.

Hear from the founders of innovative brands including WANDER Beauty, Topicals, Ettitude, GEENIE, GEM, Floyd and Goodfair.

As Yellowstone bears increasingly wander outside the sanctuary of the park, they run an ever-greater risk of getting shot.

Some kids are prone to letting their minds wander and daydreaming.

Save for the clip of heels as visitors wander around the gallery, the venue is silent.

Finally, I have to wander slightly off brief with my last two recommendations.

One can even rent out the villa here or wander down from the Arc de Triomphe and peek through the fence.

He allowed his mind to wander back into the past—back many years to the time when he had gone into the country to take a meal.

Of all the inhabitants of London chambers those are the most lonely who never wander away from London.

Sometimes Jehosophat's father opens the gate in the fence and lets the geese wander down to the pond.

Literally and figuratively, their lives seemed to wander through flowery pleasure-paths.

She appeared to wander in her mind, for sometimes her words were coherent, at other times she merely babbled.

Related Words

[ ak -s uh -lot-l ]

Start each day with the Word of the Day in your inbox!

By clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies.

Words and phrases

Personal account.

• Access or purchase personal subscriptions
• Get our newsletter
• Save searches
• Set display preferences

Institutional access

Sign in with library card

Sign in with username / password

Recommend to your librarian

Institutional account management

Sign in as administrator on Oxford Academic

wander noun

• Hide all quotations

What does the noun wander mean?

There are two meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun wander . See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

Entry status

OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.

How common is the noun wander ?

How is the noun wander pronounced, british english, u.s. english, where does the noun wander come from.

Earliest known use

The earliest known use of the noun wander is in the 1840s.

OED's earliest evidence for wander is from 1843, in a letter by John Campbell Shairp, literary scholar.

It is also recorded as a verb from the Old English period (pre-1150).

wander is formed within English, by conversion.

Etymons: wander v.

Nearby entries

• wand, v. 1572–
• wandale, n.¹ Old English–1642
• Wandale, n.² a1387–1908
• Wandalical, adj. ?a1475
• wand-bearer, n. 1840–
• wand-bone, n. 1488
• wand-church, n. ?c1450
• wandclot, n. 1397
• wanded, adj. 1567–
• wandelard, n. 1338
• wander, n. 1843–
• wander, v. Old English–
• wanderable, adj. 1906–
• wander-bird, n. 1924–
• wander-book, n. 1844–
• wandered, adj. c1420–
• wanderer, n. c1440–
• wandering, n. a1300–
• wandering, adj. Old English–
• wandering Jew, n. 1622–
• Wanderjahr, n. 1893–

Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary

To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.

Meaning & use

Pronunciation, compounds & derived words, entry history for wander, n..

wander, n. was first published in 1921; not yet revised.

wander, n. was last modified in July 2023.

Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:

• corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
• new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into wander, n. in July 2023.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

OED First Edition (1921)

• Find out more

OED Second Edition (1989)

• View wander, n. in OED Second Edition

Please submit your feedback for wander, n.

Please include your email address if you are happy to be contacted about your feedback. OUP will not use this email address for any other purpose.

Citation details

Factsheet for wander, n., browse entry.

Synonyms of wander

• as in to roam
• as in to trespass
• as in stroll
• More from M-W
• To save this word, you'll need to log in. Log In

Thesaurus Definition of wander

 (Entry 1 of 2)

Synonyms & Similar Words

• knock (about)
• gad (about)
• kick around
• mill (about or around)
• fall from grace
• break the law

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Thesaurus Definition of wander  (Entry 2 of 2)

• constitutional
• perambulation
• peregrination

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb wander contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of wander are meander , ramble , roam , rove , and traipse . While all these words 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.

When might meander be a better fit than wander ?

The words meander and wander are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, meander implies a winding or intricate course suggestive of aimless or listless wandering.

When is ramble a more appropriate choice than wander ?

The meanings of ramble and wander largely overlap; however, ramble stresses carelessness and indifference to one's course or objective.

When would roam be a good substitute for wander ?

The words roam and wander can be used in similar contexts, but roam suggests wandering about freely and often far afield.

When can rove be used instead of wander ?

While in some cases nearly identical to wander , rove suggests vigorous and sometimes purposeful roaming.

In what contexts can traipse take the place of wander ?

The synonyms traipse and wander are sometimes interchangeable, but traipse implies a course that is erratic but may sometimes be purposeful.

Articles Related to wander

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Your one-stop clarification shop

11 Authors on Their One-Word Book Titles

Telling an entire story in a single word

Thesaurus Entries Near wander

Cite this entry.

“Wander.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wander. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on wander

Nglish: Translation of wander for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of wander for Arabic Speakers

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the day.

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

More commonly misspelled words, commonly misspelled words, how to use em dashes (—), en dashes (–) , and hyphens (-), absent letters that are heard anyway, how to use accents and diacritical marks, popular in wordplay, the words of the week - apr. 19, 10 words from taylor swift songs (merriam's version), 9 superb owl words, 10 words for lesser-known games and sports, your favorite band is in the dictionary, games & quizzes.

• Daily Crossword
• Word Puzzle
• Word Finder
• Word of the Day

Synonym of the Day

• Word of the Year
• Language stories
• All featured
• Gender and sexuality
• All pop culture
• Grammar Coach ™
• Writing hub
• Grammar essentials
• Commonly confused
• All writing tips
• Pop culture
• Writing tips

Advertisement

adjective as in meandering

Strongest matches

Strong matches

adjective as in nomadic

Strongest match

adjective as in itinerant

Weak matches

Discover More

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

Start each day with the Synonym of the Day in your inbox!

By clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies.

On this page you'll find 93 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to wandering, such as: roving, winding, jaunting, roaming, strolling, and traveling.

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

Definition of 'wanderings'

wanderings in British English

Examples of 'wanderings' in a sentence wanderings, trends of wanderings.

View usage over: Since Exist Last 10 years Last 50 years Last 100 years Last 300 years

Browse alphabetically wanderings

• wandering mind
• wandering minstrel
• Wanderjahre
• All ENGLISH words that begin with 'W'

Related terms of wanderings

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Score: 0 / 5

Wordle Helper

Scrabble Tools

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Report Fraud
• Read Consumer Alerts
• Get Consumer Alerts
• Visit ftc.gov

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Meaning of wandering in English

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio

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
• gloss over something
• go off on a tangent idiom
• mealy-mouthed
• prevaricate
• unexpressed

Related word

Examples of wandering.

In English, many past and present participles of verbs can be used as adjectives. Some of these examples may show the adjective use.

Word of the Day

relating to the scientific study of animals, especially their structure

Dead ringers and peas in pods (Talking about similarities, Part 2)

Learn more with +Plus

• Recent and Recommended {{#preferredDictionaries}} {{name}} {{/preferredDictionaries}}
• Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English
• Grammar and thesaurus Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English Grammar Thesaurus
• Pronunciation British and American pronunciations with audio English Pronunciation
• English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English
• English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English
• English–Dutch Dutch–English
• English–French French–English
• English–German German–English
• English–Indonesian Indonesian–English
• English–Italian Italian–English
• English–Japanese Japanese–English
• English–Norwegian Norwegian–English
• English–Polish Polish–English
• English–Portuguese Portuguese–English
• English–Spanish Spanish–English
• English–Swedish Swedish–English
• Dictionary +Plus Word Lists
• wander (MOVE AROUND)
• wander (SUBJECT)
• All translations

Add wandering to one of your lists below, or create a new one.

{{message}}

Something went wrong.

There was a problem sending your report.