roam /rəʊm $ roʊm/ BrE AmE verb
1 . [intransitive and transitive] to walk or travel, usually for a long time, with no clear purpose or direction ⇨ wander
roam over/around/about etc
The dogs are allowed to roam around.
Chickens and geese roam freely in the back yard.
You shouldn’t let your children roam the streets.
roam the countryside/desert/forests etc
Wild sheep roam the hills.
2 . [intransitive always + adverb/preposition, transitive] if your eyes roam over something, you look slowly at all parts of it:
Her eyes roamed the room.
roam over
His eyes roamed over the bookshelves.
• • •
THESAURUS
■ to travel
▪ travel to go from one place to another, especially places that are far apart:
We travelled to Russia by train.
|
I love to travel.
▪ go to go somewhere – often used instead of travel :
We’re going to Greece for our holidays this year.
|
He’s gone to London on business.
|
It’s quicker to go by plane.
▪ commute to travel to work or school:
She commutes to work by bicycle.
▪ cross to travel across a very large area, for example a desert or ocean:
The slaves crossed the Atlantic in the holds of the ships.
▪ tour to travel in order to visit many different places, especially as part of a holiday:
They’re touring Europe by coach.
▪ go trekking to do a long and difficult walk in a place far from towns and cities:
They went trekking in the mountains.
|
She’s been trekking in Nepal a couple of times.
▪ go backpacking to travel to a lot of different places, carrying your clothes with you in your ↑ rucksack :
He went backpacking in Australia.
▪ roam especially written to travel or move around an area with no clear purpose or direction, usually for a long time:
When he was young, he roamed from one country to another.
|
The tribes used to roam around freely, without any fixed territory.
▪ journey literary to travel, especially a long distance:
He journeyed on horseback through Palestine.