Roam
Pronunciation
- RP enPR: rÅm, IPA: /ɹəʊm/
- GenAm enPR: rÅm, IPA: /ɹoÊŠm/
- Homophones: Rome
- Rhymes: -əʊm
Origin
From Middle English romen, from Old English *rÄmian, from Proto-Germanic *raimÅnan ("to wander"), from *raim- ("to move, raise"), from Proto-Indo-European *rÄ«-, *reyw-, *(o)reyÇ- ("to move, lift, flow"). Akin to Old English ÄrÇ£man "to arise, stand up, lift up", Old High German rÄmÄ“n ("to aim")
Webster 1913|roam
( >
archaic German rahmen ("to strive")), Middle Dutch rammen "to night-wander, copulate", rammelen "to wander about, ramble". More at ramble
Full definition of roam
Verb
- (intransitive) To wander or travel freely and with no specific destination.
- 2013, Daniel Taylor, Jack Wilshere scores twice to ease Arsenal to victory over Marseille (in The Guardian, 26 November 2013)http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/nov/26/arsenal-marseille-match-report-champions-leagueWilshere had started as a left-footed right-winger, coming in off the flank, but he and Özil both had the licence to roam. Tomas Rosicky was not tied down to one spot either and, with Ramsey breaking forward as well as Olivier Giroud's considerable presence, Marseille were overwhelmed from the moment Bacary Sagna's first touch of the night sent Wilshere running clear.
- (intransitive, computing, telecommunications) To use a network or service from different locations or devices.
- (transitive) To range or wander over.
- John MiltonAnd now wild beasts came forth the woods to roam.
- 2013-06-08, Obama goes troll-hunting, According to this saga of intellectual-property misanthropy, these creatures trolls roam the business world, buying up patents and then using them to demand extravagant payouts from companies they accuse of infringing them. Often, their victims pay up rather than face the costs of a legal battle.
- Gangs of thugs roamed the streets.