Definition of RAMBLE

ramble

Plural: rambles

Noun

  • an aimless amble on a winding course
  • A leisurely stroll; a recreational walk in the countryside.
  • A rambling; an instance of someone talking at length without direction.
  • A bed of shale over the seam of coal.
  • A section of woodland suitable for leisurely walking.

Verb

Verb Forms: rambled, rambling, rambles

  • To wander aimlessly or talk at length without focus.
  • continue talking or writing in a desultory manner
    • "This novel rambles on and jogs"
  • move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
  • To move about aimlessly, or on a winding course.
  • To walk for pleasure; to amble or saunter.
  • To lead the life of a vagabond or itinerant; to move about with no fixed place of address.
  • To talk or write incessantly, unclearly, or incoherently, with many digressions.
  • To follow a winding path or course.

Examples

  • Francine has a tendency to ramble when it gets to be late in the evening.
  • His mind would RAMBLE through possible words, often missing the obvious ones.
  • Last night she was rambling on about horticultural methods, which was so soothing that I nodded off.
  • She often rambles about bees' behavior, both in the hive and in the field.
  • The river rambled through the mountains.
  • Usually I don't mind listening to her ramble on a bit; it can be soothing.

Origin / Etymology

An altered form (with dissimilation of mm to mb) of dialectal rammle, from Middle English *ramlen, *ramelen, frequentative of Middle English ramen (“to roam, ramble”); compare Swedish ramla (“to stumble; fall; make a noise; rumble”), Danish ramle (“to stumble; collapse; thunder; boom”); equivalent to roam + -le.
"mid-15 c., perhaps frequentative of 'romen' 'to walk, go' perhaps via 'romblen' (late 14 c.) 'to ramble.' The vowel change perhaps by influence of Middle Dutch 'rammelen,' a derivative of 'rammen' 'copulate,' 'used of the night wanderings of the amorous cat.' Meaning 'to talk or write incoherently' is from 1630s".

Synonyms

cast, drift, jog, meander, ramble on, range, roam, roll, rove, stray, swan, tramp, vagabond, wander, drivel, sperg

Scrabble Score: 10

ramble: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
ramble: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
ramble: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 13

ramble: valid Words With Friends Word