as in rambling
passing from one topic to another
a meandering interview with the presidential hopeful that covered everything from his family life to his proposed foreign policy
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in wandering
to move about from place to place aimlessly
theatergoers meandering around the lobby waiting for the play to start
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of meandering
Susan McDonald, The Providence Journal, 26 Mar. 2026
In Houston, passengers at George Bush Intercontinental Airport spent hours Tuesday navigating meandering security lines that twisted and turned across multiple floors.
—Arkansas Online, 25 Mar. 2026
But closer inspection of the current Farm Bill that is now meandering through Congress — entitled The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 — reveals some potentially troubling inclusions worth digging into.
—Anthony Pahnke, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
The west Londoners sit 10th and appear to be meandering towards another mid-table finish.
—Mark Carey, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
These stylistic choices highlight Blake’s songwriting instincts, which on other records could be drowned out by the overbearing production or long, meandering runtimes.
—Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 12 Mar. 2026
Former safety leads at chatbot companies told us guardrails to protect against harmful conversations are most likely to falter in long, meandering conversations.
—Allison Gordon, CNN Money, 11 Mar. 2026
After passing Tacoma and Olympia, the route continues south through Washington’s lush, green forests, meandering rivers, and quiet towns tucked between tall trees.
—Abby Price, Travel + Leisure, 9 Mar. 2026
However, choices were made, and the pic’s pacing remained meandering, along with extra characters who didn’t drive the plot forward (Gyllenhaal’s husband Peter Sarsgaard as the detective alongside Penélope Cruz).
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 8 Mar. 2026
Verb
Your littlest charges will marvel at the size of the camels, tortoises and giraffes lumbering about the zoo’s meandering paths, and then eagerly pet goats and sheep in the farmyard.
—Susan McDonald, The Providence Journal, 26 Mar. 2026
In Houston, passengers at George Bush Intercontinental Airport spent hours Tuesday navigating meandering security lines that twisted and turned across multiple floors.
—Arkansas Online, 25 Mar. 2026
But closer inspection of the current Farm Bill that is now meandering through Congress — entitled The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 — reveals some potentially troubling inclusions worth digging into.
—Anthony Pahnke, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
The west Londoners sit 10th and appear to be meandering towards another mid-table finish.
—Mark Carey, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
These stylistic choices highlight Blake’s songwriting instincts, which on other records could be drowned out by the overbearing production or long, meandering runtimes.
—Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 12 Mar. 2026
Former safety leads at chatbot companies told us guardrails to protect against harmful conversations are most likely to falter in long, meandering conversations.
—Allison Gordon, CNN Money, 11 Mar. 2026
After passing Tacoma and Olympia, the route continues south through Washington’s lush, green forests, meandering rivers, and quiet towns tucked between tall trees.
—Abby Price, Travel + Leisure, 9 Mar. 2026
However, choices were made, and the pic’s pacing remained meandering, along with extra characters who didn’t drive the plot forward (Gyllenhaal’s husband Peter Sarsgaard as the detective alongside Penélope Cruz).
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 8 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for meandering
Adjective
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Shinjuku Gyoen is a rambling blend of European and Japanese formal gardens that becomes a focal point of the cherry blossom season in late March.—
Stephen Kelly,
TheWeek,
26 Mar. 2026
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The four leads are overconfident and loutish, spending their time drinking, rambling, and clumsily working through their worries about the future.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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After six months of backpacking, Martha was feeling very Taoist, very detached, just a big naked eyeball wandering around, absorbing all the astonishing things there were to see at the frayed edges of a defunct feudal empire.—
Cassandra Neyenesch,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
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Though the original clip is authentic, showing seven dogs wandering down the side of a highway in northeastern Jilin province, Chinese state media has since debunked the narrative of their escape and journey home.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Chicago is a beautiful city and shouldn’t have to deal with kids roaming around with nothing to do.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
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Sac State is the host school at Golden 1 Center for this event, which means more familiar faces roaming the arena, including Orr, Bill Macriss, Jason Spencer, Brian Berger, Ryan Bjork and others.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Brent crude futures for May delivery climbed to their near peak in the futures market Sunday evening, before drifting down to $113 on Monday.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
30 Mar. 2026
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Investors have grown more anxious about inflation, with Treasury yields rising and consumer surveys showing short‑term price expectations drifting upward.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In the summer, strolling and biking along the four reservoirs completely reset my nervous system; in the winter, the water becomes a frozen playground where people of all ages build snowmen and figure skate to their heart’s content.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Mar. 2026
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In videos from the summit, the robot can be seen mechanically strolling next to the first lady, even welcoming all in the room in several different languages and waving its hand.—
Bruna Horvath,
NBC news,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Meandering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meandering. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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