verb
wander
WAHN-der/ˈwɑːndər/
Move or drift without a fixed direction or purpose.
The visitors wander through the garden.
Etymology
Wandrian already described aimless movement, and wander retains that central idea. Its later sense “go astray” highlights the contrast between wandering and keeping to a settled course.
In context
These crustaceans all start out as free-swimming, male larvae. They wander around until they find a fish and settle in its gills.
More examples
- His thoughts wandered during the long speech.
- We wandered into a quiet side street.
- The path wanders beside the stream.
Forms
wander · wanders · wandered · wandering
wanderer noun — someone who moves from place to place