meander

noun me·an·der \ mē-ˈan-dər \

|Updated on: 18 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: meander in a Sentence

Definition of meander

1 : a winding path or course

the new path, which he supposed only to make a few meanders
—Samuel Johnson

especially : labyrinth

2 : a turn or winding of a stream

The meander eventually became isolated from the main stream.

—

meandrous

play \-drəs\ adjective

See meander defined for kids

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Recent Examples of meander from the Web

Doyle recounts centuries of such engineering exploits: channelizing, straightening out rivers’ natural meanders, deepening their pathways, and scouring their beds of silt.

— rachel riederer, The New Republic, "Can Rivers Be People Too?," 9 May 2018
What distinguishes Takahata’s movies are their zigzagging motions, their meandering paths that do not call attention to their meanders.

— carlos valladares, San Francisco Chronicle, "For Studio Ghibli devotees, a fantasy weekend at the Roxie," 13 Feb. 2018
The river is a crucial shipping route, Willson notes, and big barges could never navigate natural meanders.

— stephanie pappas, Scientific American, "Taming the Mighty Mississippi May Have Caused Bigger Floods," 10 Apr. 2018
By Patrick Reilly | For The Oregonian/OregonLive POLSON, Mont. -- This small town marks the spot where Flathead Lake narrows into a river and resumes its long meander toward the Pacific.

— OregonLive.com, "At Columbia River's doorstep, an uneasy lookout for invasive mussels," 10 Feb. 2018
Overgrown ditches, meander streams and remnants of placer mines denote a lost history and seemingly bird-rich country.

— author: christine cunningham, Alaska Dispatch News, "In grouse country near Chicken, a bird dog has his day," 28 Sep. 2017
In more recent drawings, Mr. Whitney allows his line to luxuriate across its little compartments instead of struggling to cover them, and nearly every wiggle or meander demonstrates a delicately meditative balance of spontaneity and control.

— martha schwendener and will heinrich, New York Times, "What to See in New York Art Galleries This Week," 13 Sep. 2017
Other vase painters decorated the borders of their vases with elaborate floral or Greek meander motifs.

— steven litt, cleveland.com, "Toledo Museum of Art hosts first solo show in 25 centuries on ancient Greek Berlin Painter (photos)," 23 July 2017
But according to ancient Chinese belief, bad energy follows straight lines and good energy meanders (hence the zigzagging garden paths and serpentine manmade waterways).

— klara glowczewska, Town & Country, "Why Now Is the Time to Visit China," 14 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'meander.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of meander

Latin maeander, from Greek maiandros, from Maiandros (now Menderes), river in Asia Minor

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1599

in the meaning defined at sense 2

See Words from the same year

Other Geology Terms

anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale

meander

verb

Definition of meander

meandered; meandering \-d(ə-)riŋ\

intransitive verb

1 : to follow a winding or intricate course

across the ceiling meandered a long crack
—John Galsworthy

2 : to wander aimlessly or casually without urgent destination : ramble

he meandered with the sightseers gawping at the boat people
—John le Carré

See meander defined for English-language learners

Examples of meander in a Sentence

The path meanders through the garden.
We meandered around the village.
The conversation meandered on for hours.

Recent Examples of meander from the Web

Farther uptown, Broadway morphed piecemeal from what some historians say was a Wickquasgeck Native American trail that meandered the length of Manhattan into what was called the Bloomingdale and Kingsbridge Roads.

— sam roberts, New York Times, "Untrodden Broadway: The Hidden Gems of a World-Famous Street," 14 June 2018
About 17 miles of the Middle Fork are protected under the federal National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, including the stretch that meanders past the Vermilion plant’s ash pits.

— michael hawthorne, chicagotribune.com, "Lawsuit seeks crackdown on coal plant pollution in Illinois' only national scenic river," 30 May 2018
Kicking off his set with a short and sincerely scary slasher film, 21 Savage meandered through a number of hits off his 2017 debut Issa Album, backed by slick horrorcore visuals rich with the satanic imagery so key to his nihilistic persona.

— drew lazor, Philly.com, "'But then again, I may be drunk': Post Malone takes on Festival Pier," 24 May 2018
The sun sank low, filling the sky with streaks of red, purple, and orange, and a few cows meandered across the trail, which followed a creek through a sliver of valley that widens abruptly into a vast alpine basin.

— The Atlantic, "Is Social Media Luring Hikers Into 'Death Gully'?," 17 May 2018
Elyson has miles of trails that meander through meadows of wildflowers and past scenic lakes.

— Houston Chronicle, "Elyson House and Elyson Café add new amenities and offerings for summer," 13 May 2018
Taking drives late at night and listening to the right playlist is one of Boyer's favorite things to do, especially meandering through the city of Los Angeles or up the coast, where the band is from.

— gabe bergado, Teen Vogue, "Weathers "1983" Music Video Will Make You Nostalgic for Your Car From High School," 3 May 2018
Bills that would launch a government takeover of the country’s health care sector are meandering through Congress and numerous statehouses across the country.

— sally c. pipes, Fortune, "Commentary: Canada’s Health Care Is Abysmal. Why Would We Copy It?," 26 Apr. 2018
Chikurin-no-Komichi is a scenic pedestrian walkway that meanders along the Katsura-gawa River.

— scott gilman, Town & Country, "How to Plan a Trip to Japan," 5 Oct. 2016

Origin and Etymology of meander

see ¹meander

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1612

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

meander Synonyms

Synonyms

bat, cruise, drift, float, gad (about), gallivant (also galavant), kick around, knock (about), maunder, mooch, ramble, range, roam, rove, traipse, wander;

Related Words

amble, saunter, stroll;

dawdle, mope;

gypsy, hobo, tramp, vagabond;

mill (about or around);

straggle, stray;

Synonym Discussion of meander

wander, roam, ramble, rove, traipse, meander mean to go about from place to place usually without a plan or definite purpose. wander implies an absence of or an indifference to a fixed course.

- fond of wandering about the square just watching the people

roam suggests wandering about freely and often far afield.

- liked to roam through the woods

ramble stresses carelessness and indifference to one's course or objective.

- the speaker rambled on without ever coming to the point

rove suggests vigorous and sometimes purposeful roaming.

- armed brigands roved over the countryside

traipse implies a course that is erratic but may sometimes be purposeful.

- traipsed all over town looking for the right dress

meander implies a winding or intricate course suggestive of aimless or listless wandering.

- the river meanders for miles through rich farmland

MEANDER Defined for English Language Learners

meander

verb

Definition of meander for English Language Learners

: to have a lot of curves instead of going in a straight or direct line : to follow a winding course
: to walk slowly without a specific goal, purpose, or direction
: to go from one topic to another without any clear direction