Dictionary
Find
in
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Translations

Click to move up the list of words
Wallsend
wally (1)
wally (2)
wallyball
walnut
Walpole
Walpurgis Night
walrus
walrus mustache
Walsall
Walsingham
Walter Mitty
Waltham
Waltham Forest
waltz
Walvis Bay
wame
Click to move down the list of words
Also available:

World English Dictionary
Dictionnaire Français

wander

wan·der [ wóndər ]


verb  (past and past participle wan·dered, present participle wan·der·ing, 3rd person present singular wan·ders)
Definition:
 
1. transitive and intransitive verb travel without destination: to move from place to place, either without a purpose or without a known destination
They wander the countryside looking for work.

2. intransitive verb leave fixed path: to stray from a place, path, or course
Don't wander far from home.

3. intransitive verb daydream: to lose the ability to concentrate or pay attention
My mind was wandering.

4. intransitive verb meander: to follow a winding course
The river wandered through the meadows.

5. intransitive verb stroll somewhere: to go somewhere at a leisurely pace

6. intransitive verb fail to think or speak clearly: to lose the ability to think, speak, or write in an organized and coherent way



noun  (plural wan·ders)
Definition:
 
aimless stroll: an act of moving from place to place in an aimless or leisurely way

[ Old English wandrian< Germanic, "to turn"]

wan·der·er noun
wan·der·ing adjective
wan·der·ing·ly adverb

Spelling Note

wander or wonder? Do not confuse the spelling of wander and wonder, which sound similar. Wander means "move from place to place without a purpose or destination" or "stray": We wandered along the beach. Try not to let your thoughts wander. Wonder is a noun denoting "amazed admiration or awe" or "something marvelous" (as in a feeling of wonder, one of the wonders of the world, no wonder he doesn't trust her), and also a verb meaning "speculate about something" (as in I wonder how much it costs.).

Advertisement

© 2009 Microsoft