nomad

noun

no·​mad ˈnō-ˌmad 

1

: a member of a people who have no fixed residence but move from place to place usually seasonally and within a well-defined territory

For centuries nomads have shepherded goats, sheep, and cattle across the … semiarid grasslands …

—Discovery

2

: an individual who roams about

He lived like a nomad for a few years after college, never holding a job in one place for very long.

nomad adjective

nomadism

ˈnō-ˌma-ˌdi-zəm 

noun

Synonyms

• drifter
• gadabout
• gypsy
• knockabout
• maunderer
• rambler
• roamer
• rover
• stroller
• vagabond
• wanderer
• wayfarer

Examples of nomad in a Sentence

He lived like a nomad for a few years after college, never holding a job in one place for very long.

after college she became quite the nomad, backpacking through Europe with no particular destination

Recent Examples on the Web

The intact burial found beneath the Treasury provides rare insight into the lives of the Nabataeans, ancient Arabian nomads whose desert kingdom thrived during fourth century BC to AD 106, Creasman said. —Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 12 Oct. 2024

Interviews suggest that many nomads who have moved to the new villages are reluctant to adapt. —Muyi Xiao, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2024

According to the study, which was published in the journal Antiquity, the temple is believed to be the handiwork of the Nabataean civilization—Arian nomads who are known for carving elaborate structures out of rose-colored rock. —Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 28 Oct. 2024

Throughout the war, Arab nomads such as the Misseriya secretly traded with the rebels in both the south and the north. —Jérôme Tubiana, Foreign Affairs, 8 Oct. 2013

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin Nomades (singular Nomas), name given to various pastoral peoples, as in northern Africa or Scythia, borrowed from Greek nomádes "pastoral people who move from place to place seasonally," plural of nomad-, nomás "wanderer, shepherd," as adjective, "wandering, roaming," from nomḗ "pasturing of animals, pasture, herd" or nomós "pasture, feeding ground" (both o-ablaut derivatives of némein "to graze, pasture [animals]) + -ad-, -as, noun and adjective suffix denoting descent from or connection with — more at nimble

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing nomad

• digital nomad

Kids Definition

nomad

noun

no·​mad ˈnō-ˌmad 

1

: a member of a people that has no fixed home but wanders from place to place

2

: an individual who roams about without a goal or purpose

nomad adjective

or nomadic

nō-ˈmad-ik

nomadism

ˈnō-ˌmad-ˌiz-əm 

noun