nomad
UK /ˈnəʊmæd/ US /ˈnoʊmæd/ Syllables: no-mad
Quick answer
A person who moves from place to place rather than living permanently in one location.
A nomad is a person who moves from place to place instead of living in one fixed home. The word first described groups, such as herders who travel with their animals to find fresh grass and water. Today it also describes any wanderer, such as someone who changes homes often or works while traveling, as in the phrase digital nomad. A nomad is not the same as a tourist, because a nomad has no settled base. The adjective is nomadic, and the way of life is nomadism. A close word is wanderer. Other near words are traveler, drifter and itinerant, though drifter can sound negative. The opposite idea is a settled person, such as a resident.
"Her grandparents were nomads who followed the herds across the plains."Meanings
- A member of a people who move from place to place to find food and pasture for their animals.
- Any person who wanders or changes home often.
Example sentences
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"The nomads moved their tents to a new valley each spring."
Level B1, Meaning 1
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"Nomads in the desert often travel with camels."
Level A2, Meaning 1
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"After ten years of moving between cities, she called herself a nomad."
Level B2, Meaning 2
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"He works online and lives as a digital nomad."
Level B2, Meaning 2
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"The family lived like nomads for a year, staying in a new town each month."
Level B2, Meaning 2
Synonyms and antonyms
Synonyms
Look-alikes and common mistakes
- vagabond : A vagabond is a wanderer with no home or steady work, and the word often sounds negative. Nomad is neutral.
- migrant : A migrant moves to settle in another place or follows seasonal work. A traditional nomad has no fixed home at all.
- pilgrim : A pilgrim travels to a holy place and then goes home. A nomad keeps moving.
Word family and forms
Forms: nomads
Word partners
Words and phrases that often go with "nomad".
- nomadic tribe
- desert nomads
- digital nomad
- a modern nomad
- nomad life
- nomadic lifestyle
- herding nomads
Origin
Nomad came into English in the late 1500s, through French, from the Latin word Nomas, which meant a wandering shepherd. The Latin word came from Greek nomas, meaning roaming in search of pasture, and that is related to the Greek word nomos, a pasture.
Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.
How to remember it
Picture a tent that is packed up and carried to the next place. A nomad is the person who lives that way.
Test yourself
Which word fits the gap? "The _____ moved their tents to a new valley each spring."
Answer: nomad
In your own words, what does "nomad" mean?
A person who moves from place to place rather than living permanently in one location.
Learn next at A2
- none Not any of a group of people or things.
- nonfiction Writing based on facts and real events, not imagination.
- north The direction to your left when facing east, opposite of south.
- notable Worth noticing or remembering because of some special quality.
- notice To become aware of something by seeing or sensing it.
- notification A message or alert informing someone that something has happened.
Sources and credits
- Wiktionary, the free dictionary (CC BY-SA 4.0) · used for the origin, meanings, pronunciation · checked Nov 2, 2026
- Dictionary.com · used for the origin, meanings, word family · checked Nov 2, 2026
- Cambridge Dictionary · used for the meanings, pronunciation · checked Nov 2, 2026
Last reviewed November 2, 2026. Report a mistake on this page