roam Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. verb move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
    ramble; stray; cast; swan; drift; wander; tramp; range; rove; vagabond; roll.
    • The gypsies roamed the woods
    • roving vagabonds
    • the wandering Jew
    • The cattle roam across the prairie
    • the laborers drift from one town to the next
    • They rolled from town to town

WordNet

Roam intransitive verb
Etymology
OE. romen, ramen; cf. AS. arman to raise, rise, D. ramen to hit, plan, aim, OS. rmn to strive after, OHG. ramen. But the word was probably influenced by Rome; cf. OF. romier a pilgrim, originally, a pilgrim going to Rome, It. romeo, Sp. romero. Cf. Ramble.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Roamed ; present participle & verbal noun Roaming
Definitions
  1. To go from place to place without any certain purpose or direction; to rove; to wander.
    He roameth to the carpenter's house. Chaucer.
    Daphne roaming through a thorny wood. Shak.
    Syn. -- To wander; rove; range; stroll; ramble.
Roam transitive verb
Definitions
  1. To range or wander over.
    And now wild beasts came forth the woods to roam. Milton.
Roam noun
Definitions
  1. The act of roaming; a wandering; a ramble; as, he began his roam o'er hill amd dale. Milton.

Webster 1913