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roam

verb
\ Ėˆrōm How to pronounce roam (audio) \
roamed; roaming; roams

Definition of roam

intransitive verb

1 : to go from place to place without purpose or direction : wander
2 : to travel purposefully unhindered through a wide area cattle roaming in search of water
3 : to use a cellular phone outside one's local calling area roaming charges

transitive verb

: to range or wander over
Other Words from roam Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about roam

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Other Words from roam

roam noun
roamer noun

Choose the Right Synonym for roam

wander, roam, ramble, rove, traipse, meander mean to go about from place to place usually without a plan or definite purpose. wander implies an absence of or an indifference to a fixed course. fond of wandering about the square just watching the people roam suggests wandering about freely and often far afield. liked to roam through the woods ramble stresses carelessness and indifference to one's course or objective. the speaker rambled on without ever coming to the point rove suggests vigorous and sometimes purposeful roaming. armed brigands roved over the countryside traipse implies a course that is erratic but may sometimes be purposeful. traipsed all over town looking for the right dress meander implies a winding or intricate course suggestive of aimless or listless wandering. the river meanders for miles through rich farmland

Examples of roam in a Sentence

The cattle roamed in search of water. Goats roam free on the mountain. He roamed about in search of work. The chickens are able to roam around freely in the farmyard. We roamed around town for a while before dinner. She liked to roam through the woods.
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Recent Examples on the Web

 Roblox, like Minecraft, allows users to create avatars and virtual worlds for those characters to roam around in. — NBC News, "Extremists creep into Roblox, an online game popular with children," 21 Aug. 2019 Keep in mind that this is a working farmā€”meaning there's mud, uneven ground, and yes, a few farm animals roaming around. — Elizabeth Gulino, House Beautiful, "A Couple Opened Up a ā€œPick Your Own Bouquetā€ Flower Farm," 6 Aug. 2019 After a few days, put the dogs in the cat room and let the cats roam the house. — Cathy M. Rosenthal, chicagotribune.com, "Pet World: Will insect repellent hurt dogs who lick peopleā€™s skin?," 26 July 2019 Your Thoughts Should regulators let Libra roam free or keep it on a tight leash? — James Mackintosh, WSJ, "Facebookā€™s Libra Is a License to Print Money," 23 June 2019 A dozen Lower Alabama tattoo artists let their talents roam away from their usual canvas in an exhibition opening Friday at downtown Mobileā€™s monthly art walk. — al.com, "Tattoo artists ā€˜unchainedā€™ at Mobileā€™s Friday art walk," 13 June 2019 Amsterdam, Netherlands Contrary to some peopleā€™s vision of the Dutch city, Amsterdam isnā€™t all roaming packs of British stag parties and college-aged tourists. — CondĆ© Nast Traveler, "The Best Cities in the World: 2018 Readers' Choice Awards," 9 Oct. 2018 Get somewhere, figure out what regions of the place are safe enough to wander, and roam around for an afternoon. — New York Times, "The Frugal Five," 27 June 2018 But thawing permafrost is exposing more of the huge hairy beasts, which roamed a more temperate northern Siberia 10,000 years ago. — Neil Macfarquhar, New York Times, "Russian Land of Permafrost and Mammoths Is Thawing," 4 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'roam.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of roam

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

History and Etymology for roam

Middle English romen

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More Definitions for roam

roam

verb
How to pronounce roam (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of roam

: to go to different places without having a particular purpose or plan

See the full definition for roam in the English Language Learners Dictionary

roam

verb
\ Ėˆrōm How to pronounce roam (audio) \
roamed; roaming

Kids Definition of roam

: to go from place to place with no fixed purpose or direction

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More from Merriam-Webster on roam

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with roam

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for roam

Spanish Central: Translation of roam

Nglish: Translation of roam for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of roam for Arabic Speakers

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