From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishwanderwan‧der1 /ˈwɒndə $ ˈwɑːndər/ ●●○ S3 verb 1 without direction [intransitive, transitive]WALK to walk slowly across or around an area, usually without a clear direction or purposewander in/through/around etc I’ll wander around the mall for half an hour. She wandered aimlessly about the house. Ana wandered off to get a drink. He was found wandering the streets of New York.► see thesaurus at walk2 move away [intransitive] (also wander off)WALK to walk away from where you are supposed to stay Don’t let any of the kids wander off.3 mind/thoughts [intransitive]ATTENTION if your mind, thoughts etc wander, you no longer pay attention to something, especially because you are bored or worried Mrs Snell’s mind wandered and the voices went on and on.4 conversation [intransitive]TALK TO somebody to start to talk about something not related to the main subject that you were talking about beforewander from/off Pauline started to wander from the point.5 → somebody’s mind is wandering6 eyes [intransitive] if your eyes or your gaze wander, you look around slowly at different things or at all parts of something His gaze wandered round the room. 7 road/river [intransitive]TTRTTW if a road or a river wanders somewhere, it does not go straight but in curves SYN meanderwander through/across/along The Missouri River wanders across several states.8 hands [intransitive] if a man’s hands wander, he touches the body of a woman he is with, especially where she does not want him to Be careful, he’s got wandering hands.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
wander• We wandered along the river bank, looking for a place to cross.• He wandered an area of refrigerated warehouses with old dual-gauge tracks intersecting on the cobbled streets.• For an hour and a half we wandered around the old city, totally lost.• I'd wander down the high street, frittering away on whatever took my fancy.• But the gates were open, and she wandered in, seeking shade.• She wandered into the kitchen, pleased with her work, relieved too that Luke didn't seem to be about.• She may have wandered off and become lost.• We wandered on, leaving the mules to catch up.• After dinner Carol left the hotel to wander the crowded streets.• Then she wanders the deserted basement halls.• With their parents at work, the kids are left to wander the streets.• She leaves the coach and wanders through fields for many miles until between trees she sees a deep black pool of water.wandering the streets• After her own parents died and she was left destitute, Elizabeth had found her wandering the streets.• I don't want you wandering the streets.• Often they ended up wandering the streets.wander from/off• The general himself wandered off as often as possible to hunt various indigenous fowl for the table.• He was for ever wandering off campus and into the streets of the Upper West Side.• The few that did live near the quarry tended to wander off hurriedly in the opposite direction whenever they saw a nome.• They then have a moment of near romance before wandering off into a different story.• Having been driven with the children into Mondano he had wandered off on his own unexplained concerns.• On the way home, the car had had a tendency to wander from one lane to another on the road.• I wander from room to room, filled with secret delight.• Professor Cartmel often wandered from the subject.• So methods have been developed to dissuade you from wandering off to somebody else's cash register.wander through/across/along• She leaves the coach and wanders through fields for many miles until between trees she sees a deep black pool of water.• He ought to go back to school, but he couldn't really wander along in the middle of lessons.• Sometimes I am in the log cabin, looking at it; other times I am wandering through it.• The sand turned silver-grey, and the Sandrat wandered across it.• It seemed Blunset was still wandering through the corridors and Endill looked forward to their next meeting.• Sun-bleached surfers rub elbows at the bar, and stray toddlers wander through the dining rooms.• A wooden fence wanders along the edge of the farm.• When she left in the evening, I wandered through the great empty building.• Only poor artisans, likewise, carried all their gear on their backs and wandered through towns and countryside looking for work.wandering hands• The hands, wandering hands, so often reprimanded, restrained, searched her body now.wanderwander2 noun [singular] British English DLWALKa short relaxed walk SYN strolltake/go for/have a wander I had a bit of a wander round the shops.Origin wander Old English wandrian 