meander 1 of 2

Definition of meandernext

meander

2 of 2

noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb meander contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of meander are ramble, roam, rove, traipse, and wander. While all these words mean "to go about from place to place usually without a plan or definite purpose," meander implies a winding or intricate course suggestive of aimless or listless wandering.

the river meanders for miles through rich farmland

When would ramble be a good substitute for meander?

The words ramble and meander can be used in similar contexts, but ramble stresses carelessness and indifference to one's course or objective.

the speaker rambled on without ever coming to the point

When might roam be a better fit than meander?

The meanings of roam and meander largely overlap; however, roam suggests wandering about freely and often far afield.

liked to roam through the woods

When can rove be used instead of meander?

While in some cases nearly identical to meander, rove suggests vigorous and sometimes purposeful roaming.

armed brigands roved over the countryside

When is traipse a more appropriate choice than meander?

Although the words traipse and meander have much in common, traipse implies a course that is erratic but may sometimes be purposeful.

traipsed all over town looking for the right dress

When is it sensible to use wander instead of meander?

The synonyms wander and meander are sometimes interchangeable, but wander implies an absence of or an indifference to a fixed course.

fond of wandering about the square just watching the people

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of meander
Verb
The short answer is that nobody knows if any of it—the Trojan War and Odysseus’s subsequent meandering homeward journey—was real. Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Apr. 2026 The royal’s meandering walk was punctuated by handshakes with Justice Stephen Breyer and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine. Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 29 Apr. 2026 Today, the rail trail meanders through the third-largest Amish settlement in the United States and links the towns of Goshen, Middlebury, and Shipshewana. Sarah Miller, Midwest Living, 29 Apr. 2026 Instead, vignettes provide a meandering exploration, connecting past and present and sketching parallels between father and son. Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for meander
Recent Examples of Synonyms for meander
Verb
  • Mira wanted to know who had dispatched him, but the boy wandered off to a playground structure, singing Jimmy Eat World to himself.
    Anna Wiener, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
  • The rules required residents to use bear-resistant trash containers as wildlife officials determined bears, typically shy, boldly wandered into neighborhoods in search of left-overs in garbage bins.
    Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 May 2026
Noun
  • The major source is a 9,600-acre (3,900-hectare) tract latticed by a tangle of pipes and sprinklers along the river.
    DYLAN JACKSON, ABC News, 6 May 2026
  • Mosquitoes really do play favorites — and the reasons reveal a fascinating tangle of genetics, body chemistry and evolutionary tracking that scientists are still untangling.
    Ryan Brennan May 1, Sacbee.com, 1 May 2026
Verb
  • At least 32 wolves are roaming Colorado after two rounds of releases and last year’s breeding season, which produced at least 14 pups, according to Brenna Cassidy, Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s wolf monitoring data coordinator.
    Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 7 May 2026
  • By the time Turner purchased his first bison in 1976, the species was in better shape, but populations were still far below their peak, when tens of millions once roamed the Great Plains.
    Drew Kann, AJC.com, 7 May 2026
Noun
  • With a glare and a snarl and youthful athleticism, the wrong side of history beckons.
    Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
  • That song’s twangful snarl — wonderfully sung by Clark, a star recording artist in her own right — is a reminder that these insurgents are also preservationists, capable of delivering old-fashioned pleasures to please the purists.
    New York Times, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Ritsurin was built 400 years ago as a daimyo garden for feudal lords to stroll in.
    Lale Arikoglu, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 May 2026
  • Spend the next few hours strolling around the Davidson College campus, shopping for a new read at Main Street Books or a charming memento at Honeysuckle Home, and having a leisurely lunch at The Pickled Peach.
    Lydia Mansel, Southern Living, 1 May 2026
Noun
  • An analysis of the iPhone showed that Wolfe had allegedly deleted a TOR browser — which is often used to access child pornography on the dark web — during his interview with law enforcement, according to officials.
    Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2026
  • Backlash swells to Russia web crackdown Public backlash is growing in Russia in response to Moscow’s efforts to tighten control over the internet.
    Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 30 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The staircase to the second floor had a stair lift, and into my head drifted an image of an elderly widow, slowly ascending to her bedroom after eating alone, her kitchen overflowing with porcelain and crystal reminders of dinner parties long ago.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 May 2026
  • Instead of splashing down or drifting under parachutes, the vehicle uses a lifting-body design (without wings) and will land under a steerable parafoil for a runway-style touchdown — a flight system unlike any that has matured to operability on a spacecraft to date.
    Josh Dinner, Space.com, 6 May 2026
Noun
  • Indeed, the mine site stands on a patchwork of state, federal and private land, creating a regulatory labyrinth.
    Todd Richmond, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
  • In addition to the labyrinth of unclear messaging around the campaign, Republicans say the ballot language itself is confusing.
    Jahd Khalil, NPR, 20 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Meander.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meander. Accessed 8 May. 2026.

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