wander

Formswanders, wandering, wandered

Pluralwanders

1. 1
   verbintransitive

   To move from place to place without a purpose or set destination, often in search of work or a living.

   Nomadic herders wander across the plains in search of fresh grazing.

   After losing his job, he wandered from town to town picking up odd work.

   Similarroam, err

   Oppositesettle

   Note

   The core sense carries the oldest picture in the word. Old English wandrian was built on a Germanic verb meaning "to turn, change" plus a frequentative suffix, so to wander is, at root, to keep turning. The verb is intransitive and pairs naturally with about, over and from place to place. The King James Bible of 1611 has exiles who "wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins." Roam is its closest synonym.

2. 2
   verbintransitive

   Of a person's mind or attention, to lose focus and drift away from the matter at hand.

   His attention wandered as the meeting dragged on.

   Her thoughts began to wander toward the weekend.

   Similardrift, scatter

   Oppositefocus, concentrate

3. 3
   verbintransitive

   To proceed toward a place indirectly or at varying speeds, following a curved or winding course.

   Country lanes wander between hedgerows before reaching the village.

   The trail wandered along the coast, dipping inland now and then.

   Similardrift

4. 4
   verbintransitive

   To stray from one's intended course or proper path; to go astray or err.

   Hikers who wander from the marked route risk getting lost.

   His argument wandered from the question the committee had actually asked.

   Similarstray, deviate, drift, digress, veer

   Note

   Straying is as old as the verb itself. Old English wandrian could already mean "stray, err," so this moral sense did not grow late out of aimless roaming. It usually takes from plus the path that is left behind. A writer wanders from his subject, and the King James Bible of 1611 prays, "O, let me not wander from thy commandments."

5. 5
   nouncountable

   An act or instance of moving about without a fixed destination; a leisurely stroll.

   After lunch they enjoyed a quiet wander through the gardens.

   A short wander around the neighborhood helped clear her head.

   Similarstroll, ramble, amble, saunter, walk

6. 6
   verbintransitive

   To be sexually unfaithful to one's husband or wife by having sex with someone else.

   Rumors spread that the senator had wandered while his wife was away.

   He promised his wife he would never wander again.

   Similarcheat

7. 7
   noununcountable

   Departure of a value, signal, or similar quantity from its correct or normal level.

   The timing circuit showed noticeable wander after several hours of operation.

   Calibration reduced the wander in the instrument's baseline.

   Similardrift, deviation

   Note

   In measurement, the word names a reading that slowly slides off the level where it belongs. Here it is a mass noun (some wander, too much wander), and it usually follows the quantity that drifts, as in baseline wander in ECG signals. It differs from the straying sense: a wandering signal commits no error of judgment. It simply fails to hold its proper value.

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