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wanderlust

American  
[won-der-luhst] / ˈwɒn dərˌlʌst /

noun

  1. a strong, innate desire to rove or travel about.

wanderlust British  
/ ˈwɒndəˌlʌst /

noun

  1. a great desire to travel and rove about

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
wanderlust Cultural  

  1. A German word for the irresistibly strong desire to travel or wander.

Etymology

Origin of wanderlust

First recorded in 1850–55; from German, from wander(n) “to wander” ( wander ) + Lust “desire” ( lust )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Consider this list fuel for your 2026 wanderlust.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 20, 2025

It encouraged wanderlust as Sal and Dean traveled across the country, indulging in their freedoms and desires with almost reckless abandon.

From Salon • Jul. 30, 2025

That, of course, led to the travel show — also the previous travel shows had shown me that I had a real wanderlust.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2025

Watts's main advice for readers with a similar wanderlust is to consider travelling further afield.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2025

Zeitoun had gone on to work on ships without Ahmad, too, seeing most of the world in a ten-year period of wanderlust that eventually brought him to New Orleans and to his life with Kathy.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.