roamroam /rəʊm $ roʊm/ ●○○ verb 
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.► see thesaurus at travel2[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.3[intransitive] to use your mobile phone in a different country or area from usual by connecting to a different network: Some pay-as-you-go phones do not allow you to roam.
VERB TABLE
roam
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | roam |
| he, she, it | roams | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | roamed |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have roamed |
| he, she, it | has roamed | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had roamed |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will roam |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have roamed |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am roaming |
| he, she, it | is roaming | |
| you, we, they | are roaming | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was roaming |
| you, we, they | were roaming | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been roaming |
| he, she, it | has been roaming | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been roaming |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be roaming |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been roaming |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- At one point, buffalo freely roamed North America.
- Great herds of wild deer roam freely over the hills.
- Residents of the Red Hall estate claim to be living in fear of gangs who roam the streets after dark.
- The kids roamed the neighborhood on their bikes.
- Tourists love roaming about the old town.
- Aeons ago, prehistoric animals roamed these parts and hid in the Paviland Caves below the cliffs.
- Although visitors will roam the shop floor some things will be closely watched.
- He had roamed Queenstown during his lunch hour at the beginning of the week before he could find a roaster for sale.
- I am the one scrambling eggs for dinner and sitting on porches with friends while the kids roam the neighborhood on bikes.
- Larger numbers of roe deer live near there and Czechoslovakia still has bears and wolves roaming in the wild.
- They typically roam a territory of several acres, with life spans similar to humans.
- Would you rather have them roaming the countryside on trail bikes or all-terrain vehicles?
THESAURUSto travel
to go from one place to another, especially places that are far apart: · We travelled to Russia by train.· I love to travel.
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.
to travel to work or school: · She commutes to work by bicycle.
to travel across a very large area, for example a desert or ocean: · The slaves crossed the Atlantic in the holds of the ships.
to travel in order to visit many different places, especially as part of a holiday: · They’re touring Europe by coach.
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.
to travel to a lot of different places, carrying your clothes with you in your rucksack: · He went backpacking in Australia.
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.
literary to travel, especially a long distance: · He journeyed on horseback through Palestine.
Longman Language Activatorto walk without going in one particular direction also walk round British · I keep seeing these two strange men walking around. I'm sure they're up to something.· We walked round the market for a while, and then we went to the beach.
to walk around with no particular aim and in no particular direction, especially in a place you do not know or when you are lost: wander about/around/through etc: · For an hour and a half we wandered around the old city, totally lost.· We wandered along the river bank, looking for a place to cross.wander the streets/hills/town etc: · After dinner Carol left the hotel to wander the crowded streets.
to walk around freely and with no particular aim: roam about/around/over etc: · Tourists love roaming about the old town.· Great herds of wild deer roam freely over the hills.roam the streets/desert/hills etc: · Residents of the Red Hall estate claim to be living in fear of gangs who roam the streets after dark.
to quietly walk around an area or building, trying not to be seen or heard, especially in order to steal something or attack someone: prowl around/round: · Several wolves prowled round the camp, but were kept at bay by the fire.· The babysitter said she could hear someone prowling around in the garden.prowl the streets/neighbourhood/city etc: · Police have warned the public that the killer may still be prowling the streets.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Chickens and geese roam freely in the back yard. You shouldn’t let your children roam the streets. Wild sheep roam the hills.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES Hundreds of dogs roam free on the streets.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
1[intransitive, transitive] to walk or travel, usually for a long time, with no clear purpose or directionroam over/around/about etc Chickens and geese roam freely in the back yard. You shouldn’t let your children roam the streets. Wild sheep roam the hills. Hundreds of dogs roam free on the streets.· But sometimes he went down into London instead and roamed about, especially when it was warm.· The birds are, it is said, permitted to roam about in forests.· Nails was always roaming about on his own but on a night like this there was not much attraction in it.· He was still loose, roaming about somewhere.
· I roamed around archways leading nowhere and windows framed by stone walls standing in isolation.· The old town of Innsbruck is fun to roam around.· She roamed around the countryside and was often seen, but only in the distance.· Mostly, these were just harmless kids, down in South Chicago roaming around like Moonies.· Before next month's Starting Block, try roaming around your hard disk, looking at the different files it contains.· Martvr is another favorite role when the dragons are roaming around.· You simply roam around, safe in the knowledge that round each corner there will be something to please.
· However, the consequences of allowing cats to roam freely can be environmentally significant.· Ethanol is thus a powerful solvent that can roam freely throughout the body.· Collectivisation in particular is disastrous for nomadic peoples, who need to roam freely to feed their animals on sparse vegetation.· In their place, dozens of sheep, goats, chickens and geese roam freely.
· She let her eyes roam over him freely, and longed for her hands to have the same privilege.· At one point she roamed over to the window and gazed out.
NOUN· Landscapes are peaceful and unscarred, animals roam free, children never grow up and work is virtually non-existent.· Aeons ago, prehistoric animals roamed these parts and hid in the Paviland Caves below the cliffs.
· Tagan roamed the country to the north of the company, but it was deserted, empty of both men and beasts.
· She roamed around the countryside and was often seen, but only in the distance.· Would you rather have them roaming the countryside on trail bikes or all-terrain vehicles?
· One sensed the aloneness, and would she be roaming the desert if there were a husband to worry about?· Pride is one thing: a wild beast which lives in caves and roams the desert.
· The birds are, it is said, permitted to roam about in forests.· There are no restaurants or motels, no industry to speak of, only deer and wild turkey roaming the surrounding forest.· Such double-bodied beings were thought to have roamed the forests and pasturelands adjacent to Arcadian Olympia.
· They had spent Hogmanay at home, welcoming the groups of people roaming the village as they came round.
· Since then, excited activists have been roaming the streets, banging drums and chanting.· There was a lot of violence, gangs roaming the streets.· Cowpat stoves were everywhere, using the droppings of the cattle that roamed the streets as a mainstream fuel supply.· Industry, such as it was, almost stood still, and the jobless and underemployed roamed city streets.· Huge rats roamed the streets slaying then devouring their victims.· I bought one the first day I arrived and have been roaming the streets ever since looking for some one to play catch.· It might have been the stories about businessmen roaming the streets with half a million pounds in carrier bags.
· It was all preparation for her dream job: a foreign correspondent, roaming the world in a trench coat.· The Gods roam the world and mingle in human affairs, but they do so at their own whim.
VERB· She let her eyes roam over him freely, and longed for her hands to have the same privilege.· Most landlords comply, and let government inspectors roam through the bedrooms and bathrooms of the houses they rent out.· My sister just lets the bairns roam.· He liked to go with a friend-Matt or Joy or Jesse-and I let them roam the gyms at will.· He let his eyes roam her face, as though he was assessing her worthiness as a repository for his secrets.· He let his eyes roam round his surroundings.
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.► see thesaurus at travel2[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.3[intransitive] to use your mobile phone in a different country or area from usual by connecting to a different network: Some pay-as-you-go phones do not allow you to roam.