wandering
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Related to wandering: wondering
wan·der
(wŏn′dər)v. wan·dered, wan·der·ing, wan·ders
v.intr.
1. To move about without a definite destination or purpose.
2. To go by an indirect route or at no set pace; amble: We wandered toward town.
3. To proceed in an irregular course; meander: The path wanders through the park.
4. To behave in a manner that does not conform to morality or norms: wander from the path of righteousness.
5. To turn the attention from one subject to another with little clarity or coherence of thought: I had a point to make, but my mind started wandering.
6. To be directed without an object or in various directions: His eyes wandered to the balcony.
v.tr.
1. To wander across or through: wander the forests and fields.
2. To be directed around or over: Her gaze wandered the docks.
n.
The act or an instance of wandering.
[Middle English wanderen, from Old English wandrian.]
wan′der·er n.
wan′der·ing·ly adv.
Synonyms: wander, ramble, roam, rove1, range, meander, stray, gallivant, gad1
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: The professor 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 or area: "The camels strayed to graze on the branches of distant acacias" (Jeffrey Tayler).
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.
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: The professor 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 or area: "The camels strayed to graze on the branches of distant acacias" (Jeffrey Tayler).
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.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
wan•der•ing
(ˈwɒn dər ɪŋ)adj.
1. moving from place to place without a fixed plan; roaming.
2. having no permanent residence; nomadic.
3. meandering; winding: a wandering river.
n. 4. an aimless roving about; leisurely traveling from place to place: a summer of delightful wandering through Italy.
5. Usu., wanderings.
a. aimless travels; meanderings.
b. disordered thoughts or utterances; incoherencies
[before 1000]
wan′der•ing•ly, adv.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
wandering
- 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.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
Wandering
of tinkers—Lipton.Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
Noun | 1. | ![]() travel, traveling, travelling - the act of going from one place to another; "he enjoyed selling but he hated the travel" drifting - aimless wandering from place to place |
Adj. | 1. | wandering - migratory; "a restless mobile society"; "the nomadic habits of the Bedouins"; "believed the profession of a peregrine typist would have a happy future"; "wandering tribes" unsettled - not settled or established; "an unsettled lifestyle" |
2. | ![]() indirect - not direct in spatial dimension; not leading by a straight line or course to a destination; "sometimes taking an indirect path saves time"; "you must take an indirect course in sailing" | |
3. | wandering - having no fixed course; "an erratic comet"; "his life followed a wandering course"; "a planetary vagabond" unsettled - not settled or established; "an unsettled lifestyle" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
wandering
adjective itinerant, travelling, journeying, roving, drifting, homeless, strolling, voyaging, unsettled, roaming, rambling, nomadic, migratory, vagrant, peripatetic, vagabond, rootless, wayfaring a band of wandering musicians
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
wandering
adjectiveThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
wandering
[ˈwɒndərɪŋ] ADJ [person] → errante; [tribe] → nómada, errante; [minstrel] → itinerante; [path, river] → sinuoso; [eyes, mind] → distraídohe suffers from wandering hands (hum) → es un sobón
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
wandering
adj tribesman, refugees → umherziehend; minstrel → fahrend; thoughts → (ab)schweifend; gaze → schweifend; path → gewunden; the old man’s wandering mind → die wirren Gedanken des Alten; to have wandering hands (hum) → seine Finger nicht bei sich (dat) → behalten können; the Wandering Jew → der Ewige Jude
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
wandering
[ˈwɒnd/ərɪŋ]1. adj (tribe) → nomade; (minstrel, actor) → girovago/a; (path, river) → tortuoso/a; (mind) → distratto/a
2. wanderings npl → peregrinazioni fpl, vagabondaggi mpl
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
wan·der·ing
a. errante, errático-a; desviado-a;
___ cell → célula;
___ goiter → bocio móvil;
___ pain → dolor ___;
___ tooth → diente desviado.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012