meaning of wandering at

• TheFreeDictionary
• Word / Article
• Starts with
• Free toolbar & extensions
• Word of the Day
• Free content

wan•der•ing

• evagation - Means mental wandering or digression, also a digression in speech or writing.
• mundivagant - Means "wandering around the world."
• vagation - The action of wandering, straying, or departing from the proper or regular course.
• wanderjahr - Literally German for "wander year," it refers to a year of wandering or travel.

wan·der·ing

• bird of passage
• Diomedea exulans
• Wanamaker John
• Wanchüan
• Wand of peace
• Wanda Landowska
• wander about or around
• wander back
• wander plug
• wandering albatross
• Wandering cell
• Wandering Jew
• Wandering kidney
• Wandering liver
• Wandering mouse
• wandering nerve
• Wandering spider
• wanderingly
• Wang An Shi
• Wang Jing Wei
• Wang Jingwei
• wander off from us
• wander off from you
• Wander, Karl Friedrich Wilhelm
• wandered about
• wandered around
• wandered away
• wandered away from
• wandered from
• wandered in
• wandered into
• wandered off
• wandered off from
• Wanderer Butterfly
• Wanderer Class Owners' Association
• Wanderers' Rest Humane Association
• wandering about
• wandering abscess
• wandering albatrosses
• wandering around
• Wandering Around Being Visible
• wandering atrial pacemaker
• wandering away
• wandering away from
• wandering cell
• wandering dune
• wandering erysipelas
• Wandering Eye
• wandering from
• Wandering Gallbladder
• wandering goiter
• Wandering Hand Trouble
• wandering hands
• Facebook Share

• 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 wander noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

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

Questions about grammar and vocabulary?

Find the answers with Practical English Usage online, your indispensable guide to problems in English.

Other results

Nearby words.

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

wandering noun

• Hide all quotations

What does the noun wandering mean?

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

wandering has developed meanings and uses in subjects including

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 wandering ?

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

Earliest known use

Middle English

The earliest known use of the noun wandering is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).

OED's earliest evidence for wandering is from before 1300, in Cursor Mundi: a Northumbrian poem of the 14th century .

wandering is formed within English, by derivation.

Etymons: wander v. , ‑ing suffix 1 .

Nearby entries

• 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–
• wanderlust, n. 1902–
• wanderment, n. 1597–1605
• Wanderobo, n. 1902–
• wanderoo, n. 1681–
• wander-plug, n. 1923–
• wander-soul, n. 1917–
• wander-spirit, n. 1927–

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 wandering, n..

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

wandering, 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 wandering, n. in July 2023.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

OED First Edition (1921)

• Find out more

OED Second Edition (1989)

• View wandering, vbl. n. in OED Second Edition

Please submit your feedback for wandering, 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 wandering, n., browse entry.

• 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

Word of the Day

customer support

help and advice that a company makes available to customers when they have bought something

Varied and diverse (Talking about differences, Part 1)

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

To add wandering to a word list please sign up or log in.

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

{{message}}

Something went wrong.

There was a problem sending your report.

Definition of 'wander'

wander in American English

Wander in british english, examples of 'wander' in a sentence wander, trends of wander.

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

Browse alphabetically wander

• wand reader
• wander aimlessly
• wander alone
• wander an aisle
• All ENGLISH words that begin with 'W'

Related terms of wander

• eyes wander
• wander plug
• polar wander
• View more related words

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Score: 0 / 5

Wordle Helper

Scrabble Tools

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!

• By clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy policies.
• Phone This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

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."

Commonly Confused

Trending Words

[ uh - pel - uh -tiv ]

• Name This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

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 14 May. 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, your vs. you're: how to use them correctly, every letter is silent, sometimes: a-z list of examples, more commonly mispronounced words, how to use em dashes (—), en dashes (–) , and hyphens (-), popular in wordplay, the words of the week - may 10, a great big list of bread words, 10 scrabble words without any vowels, 8 uncommon words related to love, 9 superb owl words, games & quizzes.

• SI SWIMSUIT
• SI SPORTSBOOK

Just For Starters: Tampa Bay's Taj Bradley Goes 6 Innings in 2024 Debut

Tom brew | may 10, 2024.

• Tampa Bay Rays

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Taj Bradley returned to the Tampa Bay Rays roster on Friday night, and his first outing was a success. Unfortunately, he didn't get any run support from his teammates.

Bradley pitched six innings in his 2024 debut, which was delayed by a right pectoral injury in spring training. He allowed just one run and four hits, racking up seven strikeouts. But he left trailing 1-0. The Yankees won the game 2-0.

Bradley cruised through the first three innings, allowing only a first-inning walk to slugger Aaron Judge. He got into a bit of trouble in the fourth inning, though.

Juan Soto flied out to the warning track in left to open the inning, and then Bradley walked Judge for a second time. He struck out Alex Verdugo, but then Giancarlo Stanton ripped a 116 mph line drive that Rays shortstop Jose Caballaro couldn't handle. First baseman Anthony Rizzo then singled to left, driving in Judge and giving the Yankees a 1-0 lead.

Bradley made it through the sixth inning, allowing just a single in both the fifth and sixth innings. He threw 93 pitches on the night, 59 for strikes.

Bradley appeared in 23 games as a rookie a year ago, starting 21, and posted a 5-8 record with a 5.59 earned run average. A promising prospect, the 23-year-old allowed four runs or more in nine starts in 2023. He did have 129 strikeouts in 104 2/3 innings, an 11.1 average per nine innings.

The Yankees and Rays hook up again on Saturday, with Nestor Cortes taking on Zack Littell. The game starts at 4:10 p.m. ET.

Related stories on Rays-Yankees

• TOM BREW COLUMN : One thing that Rays and Yankees players both agree on is that American League East rivalry games really do mean a little more. My column, live from Tropicana Field. CLICK HERE
• RAYS PLAYING BETTER:  The Tampa Bay Rays are playing well this week, going 5-1. That's a good thing with 13 straight American League East games in a row — including three with the New York Yankees starting on Friday night in St. Petersburg, Fla.  CLICK HERE
• RAYS STADIUM FIGHT:  The Tampa Bay Rays are asking for more than $700 million in public funding for their new ballpark district plan, but one group is pushing back, insisting that the club pay rent and split profits more evenly with the city and county.  CLICK HERE
• PEPIOT ON INJURED LIST:  The Tampa Bay Rays are being cautious with starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot. Still sore after getting hit by a line drive last Sunday, the Rays put him on the 15-day injured list on Wednesday.  CLICK HERE
• DELUCA SPURS WINNING STREAK:  The Tampa Bay Rays are on a four-game winning streak, and the common thread has been their new "City Connect'' jerseys and the hot start for Jonny DeLuca, who has driven in 10 runs in his first four games. Here is Tom Brew's column.  CLICK HERE
• FRANCO CHARGES COMING:  Wander Franco, who is on administrative leave from Major League Baseball, is set to be charged formally with sexually exploiting a minor in the Dominican Republic. There's no telling what this means legally for Franco, but it is another complication for his baseball career, which is up in the air.  CLICK HERE
• SOTO WALKS INTO HISTORY:  Juan Soto has officially drawn as many walks before the age of 26 as Mickey Mantle, and it's only a matter of time before the New York Yankees slugger breaks the record.  CLICK HERE