wandering out meaning

A Wandering Mind Isn't Just A Distraction. It May Be Your Brain's Default State.

Senior Writer, The Huffington Post

Even if you don’t consider yourself a daydreamer, you probably spend a lot of time in a state of mental wandering ― it’s natural for your mind to drift away from the present moment when you’re in the shower, walking to work or doing the dishes.

In recent years, scientists have been paying a lot more attention to mind-wandering, an activity that takes up as much as 50 percent of our waking hours . Psychologists previously tended to view mind-wandering as largely useless, but an emerging body of research suggests that it is a natural and healthy part of our mental lives.

Researchers from the University of British Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley conducted a review of over 200 studies to highlight the relationship between mind-wandering ― often defined in psychological literature as “task-unrelated thought,” or TUT ― and the thinking processes involved in creativity and some mental illnesses, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression.

“Sometimes the mind moves freely from one idea to another, but at other times it keeps coming back to the same idea, drawn by some worry or emotion,” Dr. Kalina Christoff, lead study author and principal investigator of the Cognitive Neuroscience of Thought Laboratory at UBC, said in a statement.

“Understanding what makes thought free and what makes it constrained is crucial because it can help us understand how thoughts move in the minds of those diagnosed with mental illness,” she said.

The Role Of A Wandering Mind

Traditionally, mind-wandering has been defined as thinking that arises spontaneously, without relating to any sort of task or external input. But this definition is only a starting point: Without external focus, the researchers explain, the mind moves from one thought to another ― jumping between memories, imaginings, plans and goals.

This default “spontaneous mode” can be hemmed in in two ways: A person can deliberately turn their attention to a task, or, in the case of someone with a mental health issue, focus can happen because thoughts have gotten stuck on a persistent worry or pulled away by an environmental distraction.

On a neurological level, the brain’s default mode network ― a broad network that engages many different cognitive processes and regions on the internal surface of the brain ― activates when our minds wander. In contrast, when we focus our attention on a goal, plan or environmental stimulus, the part of the brain devoted to external attention is more active.

Specifically, the researchers pinpointed the memory and imaginative centers within the default mode network as being largely responsible for the variety of our spontaneous thoughts.

“You’re jumping around from one thing to another,” Zachary Irving, a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, Berkeley and study co-author who has ADHD, told The Huffington Post. “We think that’s the default state of these memory and imaginative structures.”

A Creative Mind Is A Wandering Mind

Creative thinking can be an extension of ordinary mind-wandering, the researchers explained, and a growing body of research has linked daydreaming with creativity . In highly creative people, psychologists have observed a tendency toward a variation on mind-wandering known as “ positive-constructive daydreaming ,” in which has also been associated with self-awareness, goal-oriented thinking and increased compassion.

The free play of thoughts that occurs in mind-wandering may enable us to think more flexibly and draw more liberally upon our vast internal reservoir of memories, feelings and images in order to create new and unusual connections.

“Mind-wandering in the sense of the mind moving freely from one idea to another has huge benefits in terms of arriving at new ideas,” Christoff said. “It’s by virtue of free movement that we generate new ideas, and that’s where creativity lies.”

What Mind-Wandering Can Tell Us About Mental Illness

This type of mental activity can provide an important window into the thinking patterns that underly psychological disorders involving alterations in spontaneous thought.

The mind of someone with ADHD, for example, wanders more widely and frequently than that of an average individual. In someone with anxiety and depression, the mind has an unusually strong tendency to get stuck on a particular worry or negative thought.

“Disorders like ADHD and anxiety and depression aren’t totally disconnected from what normally goes on in the mind,” Irving said. “There’s this ordinary ebb and flow of thoughts, where you’re moving from mind-wandering to sticky thoughts to goal-directed thoughts. ... We think of these disorders as exaggerated versions of those sorts of ordinary thoughts.”

So despite what your elementary school teachers may have told you, it’s perfectly fine to let your thoughts wander every once in a while. But if you find your mind wandering too much or getting stuck on negative thoughts, it may be time to seek help.

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Definition of wandering

 (Entry 1 of 2)

Definition of wandering  (Entry 2 of 2)

• digressional
• digressionary

Examples of wandering in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wandering.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing wandering

wandering albatross

• wandering dude
• wandering eye

Dictionary Entries Near wandering

Cite this entry.

“Wandering.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wandering. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.

Medical Definition

Medical definition of wandering.

Medical Definition of wandering  (Entry 2 of 2)

More from Merriam-Webster on wandering

Nglish: Translation of wandering for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of wandering for Arabic Speakers

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Wander vs. Wonder: How To Use Each Word

• Wonder Vs. Wander

⚡ Quick summary

The verb wander (pronounced [ won -der ]) typically means “to roam” or “to meander.” The word wonder (pronounced [ wuhn -der ]) is typically used as a verb to mean “to think curiously,” “to be amazed,” or “to doubt.” As a noun, it’s used to mean “something strange and surprising,” “a miraculous deed or event,” or “the emotion excited by what is strange and surprising.”   

The words wander and wonder look very similar, but they have very different meanings and uses. 

In this article, we will define wander and wonder , explain how we use them differently, and provide example sentences that show how we typically use them in sentences. 

wonder  vs. wander

The word wonder (pronounced [ wuhn -der ]) is used as a verb and a noun. As a verb, it typically means “to think curiously,” “to be amazed,” or “to doubt.” 

For example:

• I wonder what will happen at the party this weekend. 
• They wondered at the amazing acrobatics of the circus performers.
• I wonder if Oscar can really speak Spanish like he claims. 

Wonder is also used as a noun to mean “something strange and surprising,” “a miraculous deed or event,” or “the emotion excited by what is strange and surprising.” 

• The collection was filled with wonders from around the world. 
• The magician was able to perform such wonders as turning dirt into gold. 
• We were filled with wonder as we watched the firework show. 

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The word wander (pronounced [ won -der ]) is typically used as a verb to mean “to move about without a set path, to roam,” “to follow a circuitous route, to meander,” and “to take a direction without conscious intent, as with thoughts,” as well as several other similar meanings. 

• She wandered through the woods for a while before she found a lake.
• The story started out good, but then it wandered off into a confusing mess. 
• He was so bored that his mind began to wander into thoughts of lunch.

It is possible to use the word wander as a noun, but this usage is rare. Instead, the noun sense of wandering is much more likely to be used. By contrast, both the noun and verb sense of wonder are commonly used.  

Examples of wander and wonder in a sentence

Let’s amble into some amazing sentences that show how we typically use wander and wonder .

• They got lost on the way to the pool and wandered into the sauna. 
• As a kid, I always wondered about how different machines worked.
• The president wandered off on a tangent about pizza before getting back to his speech. 
• The wizard’s tower was full of magical wonders, including a flying carpet. 
• We were full of wonder as we wandered through the science museum.

Don't wander off course when learning how to distinguish "coarse" from "course."

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[ per sey ]

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Definition of 'wander'

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wander in British English

Wander in american english, examples of 'wander' in a sentence wander, trends of wander.

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• wand reader
• wander aimlessly
• wander alone
• wander an aisle
• All ENGLISH words that begin with 'W'

Related terms of wander

• eyes wander
• wander plug
• polar wander
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Definition of wander verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

• + adv./prep. She wandered aimlessly around the streets.
• We wandered back towards the car.
• wander something The child was found wandering the streets alone.
• Don't go wandering all over the house!
• He just wandered in one day and asked for a job.
• He wandered into a bar and ordered a drink.
• One day she wandered further afield.
• Simply wandering is a pleasure in itself.
• The cattle are allowed to wander freely.
• They found him wandering around aimlessly.
• Visitors are free to wander through the gardens and woods.
• Cattle and sheep wander freely on the hilltops.
• During the day I would wander the streets, asking passers-by for a few cents.
• He was found wandering in the road late one night.
• She had spent her life wandering from place to place.
• They spent a couple of hours wandering through the markets.
• disconsolately
• allow somebody/​something to
• let somebody/​something
• find somebody wandering

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Meaning of wandering in English

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wander verb ( MOVE AROUND )

• walk The baby has just learned to walk.
• stride She strode purposefully up to the desk and demanded to speak to the manager.
• march He marched right in to the office and demanded to see the governor.
• stroll We strolled along the beach.
• wander She wandered from room to room, not sure of what she was looking for.
• amble She ambled down the street, looking in shop windows.
• crawl There'd been a bad accident on the motorway and traffic was crawling.
• trundle Lorries trundle through the narrow lanes.
• creep He crept downstairs, hardly making any noise.
• trudge They trudged wearily through the snow.
• stroll We spent the afternoon strolling around Budapest.
• amble He ambled over to the window.
• Don't worry if you lose hold of the reins - the horse won't wander off.
• He wandered around, clearing up in a desultory way.
• We wandered along the shore , stepping over the flotsam that had washed up in the night .
• We wandered through the beautifully proportioned rooms of the Winter Palace.
• She was wandering around in a daze this morning .
• His eyes wandered over the posters adorning the walls .
• dumbwalking

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

wander verb ( SUBJECT )

• bury the lede idiom
• candy coating
• candy-coated
• circumlocution
• circumlocutory
• get on to/onto something phrasal verb
• gloss over something phrasal verb
• go off on a tangent idiom
• prevaricate
• tiptoe around something/someone phrasal verb
• unexpressed

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