wandering

[ won-der-ing ]

adjective

1. moving from place to place without a fixed plan; roaming; rambling:

   Crowds of wandering tourists crossed the square.

2. having no permanent residence; nomadic:

   They were historically a wandering people, moving seasonally through the area.

3. meandering; winding:

   They followed a wandering path down the mountain.

noun

1. an aimless roving about; leisurely traveling from place to place:

   For our honeymoon we had a period of delightful wandering through Italy.

2. Usually wan·der·ings.
   1. aimless travels; meanderings:

      Her wanderings took her all over the world.

   2. disordered thoughts or utterances; incoherencies:

      mental wanderings;

      the wanderings of delirium.

3. seemingly aimless or random movement from one place to another by a person with a mental or cognitive disability or impairment: elopement ( def 2 ).

   Wandering by Alzheimer’s patients is a problem in nursing homes.

Other Words From

• wan·der·ing·ly adverb
• wan·der·ing·ness noun
• un·wan·der·ing adjective
• un·wan·der·ing·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of wandering¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English (noun, adjective), Old English wandrigende (adjective); wander ( def ), -ing ²( def ), -ing ¹( def )

Example Sentences

She argued one was not secure enough to prevent her mother from wandering off, while the other was rated "inadequate" by the Care Quality Commission.

From BBC

But the site rep said, “Don’t go wandering off. I didn’t believe in spirits until I started babysitting this place, and yeah, I hear voices all the time when I’m the only one here.”

From Los Angeles Times

He was incredibly accessible to his players, chiding them if they failed to stop by his office and say hello if they were wandering around Heritage Hall.

From Los Angeles Times

Jokura was not the only scientist to make a milestone discovery after wandering past a tank containing a gelatinous animal.

From Salon

“Toy Story of Terror” from 2013, originally produced at the corporate nexus of Disney, Pixar and ABC, offers a delightful meta take on horror tropes — rainy night, roadside motel, characters imprudently wandering off.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• meandering
• nomadic
• roving