I. ˈrambəl, -aam- verb
( rambled ; rambled ; rambling -b(ə)liŋ ; rambles )
Etymology: perhaps alteration of romble, from Middle English romblen, freq. of romen to roam — more at roam
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to move usually by walking from place to place without conscious aim or goal : stroll here and there : rove , wander
rambling till suppertime through the orderly avenues between the lines of English walnut trees — Jean Stafford
to ramble through the country and to talk about books — J.P.Marquand
b. : to explore without any particular purpose
most students rambled around among a lot of different subjects — Sloan Wilson
2. : to talk or write in a desultory fashion
this essay rambles a great deal, darting … from point to point — Saturday Review
great temptation … to ramble on interminably in praise of the delights of sailing — E.J.Schoettle
3.
a. : to grow at random
roses that ramble over our summer house — Nora Waln
b. : to extend or stretch seemingly without design or plan
a little tame wood which rambled up from the village — Audrey Barker
roads and drives ramble past great estates — American Guide Series: North Carolina
transitive verb
: to wander over : roam
rambling the streets of London — Virginia Woolf
rambling the woods with his father on quiet Sunday afternoons
II. noun
( -s )
1. : the act of rambling : a walk taken without a specific aim or goal : leisurely excursion for pleasure
in my rambles about the city — John Reed
2. : an informal discursive piece of writing
cannot in this short ramble give a simple and sincere account of my own life — E.B.White