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
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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
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Recent Examples of meandering
Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 9 Nov. 2025
The comment — which instantly became prime-time cable fodder — came in the middle of a meandering and misleading response to a question from Fox News correspondent Jacqui Heinrich.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
Travelers followed the North Platte for hundreds of meandering miles, depending on the water for both people and livestock, and the grasses growing alongside for feed.
—Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
The saloon bar’s eye-popping, maple, epoxy countertop was custom-made in Oklahoma and features a meandering blue river inlaid with real gold nuggets and rocks to represent the iconic American River.
—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 25 Oct. 2025
Season one may only be six episodes, but it’s padded out with meandering subplots, vague teases for a second-season mystery, and one overly long and slow-motion-dependent scene at a nightclub.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2025
Tropical Storm Melissa is meandering through the warm waters of the Caribbean at a snail’s pace, where it’s expected to pick up enough power to develop into a major Category 4 by Tuesday.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
But even as the winds within Melissa are forecast to become powerful gusts, the atmosphere around the storm is calm, leaving the would-be hurricane meandering through the Caribbean.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 23 Oct. 2025
AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva, however, previously told that because the steering flow is light this week, the storm has a greater chance of meandering outside its forecast path.
—Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
The seven-mile Torreya Challenge Loop steadily climbs and dips, meandering over creeks, an old forest road, and blackberry brambles, following a ridge where mountain laurels bloom in the spring and visitors can find the steepest incline in the park.
—Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 9 Nov. 2025
The comment — which instantly became prime-time cable fodder — came in the middle of a meandering and misleading response to a question from Fox News correspondent Jacqui Heinrich.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
Travelers followed the North Platte for hundreds of meandering miles, depending on the water for both people and livestock, and the grasses growing alongside for feed.
—Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
The saloon bar’s eye-popping, maple, epoxy countertop was custom-made in Oklahoma and features a meandering blue river inlaid with real gold nuggets and rocks to represent the iconic American River.
—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 25 Oct. 2025
Season one may only be six episodes, but it’s padded out with meandering subplots, vague teases for a second-season mystery, and one overly long and slow-motion-dependent scene at a nightclub.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2025
Tropical Storm Melissa is meandering through the warm waters of the Caribbean at a snail’s pace, where it’s expected to pick up enough power to develop into a major Category 4 by Tuesday.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
But even as the winds within Melissa are forecast to become powerful gusts, the atmosphere around the storm is calm, leaving the would-be hurricane meandering through the Caribbean.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 23 Oct. 2025
AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva, however, previously told that because the steering flow is light this week, the storm has a greater chance of meandering outside its forecast path.
—Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for meandering
Adjective
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The Gerbi family also controls the trendy Paris retailer Merci, a rambling concept shop that opened in 2009 with a charitable mission.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
5 Nov. 2025
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Kiley, 40, a Republican, is in his second term representing a rambling district that stretches from the northeastern Sacramento suburbs, through Placer and nearby counties and down to Death Valley.—
David Lightman,
Sacbee.com,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Sheriff’s officials have said Chastain was intoxicated and wandering the neighborhood in the moments before the fatal attack.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
11 Nov. 2025
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Fall offers perfect weather for wandering through Wilmington's 230-block National Register Historic District, one of the largest in the country.—
Gabi De la Rosa,
Southern Living,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The set-up inside the circle felt more like a rehearsal space, with the group clustered together while also roaming freely around the stage, playing to different parts of the audience.—
Daniel Dylan Wray,
Pitchfork,
5 Nov. 2025
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In the lead-up to Election Day, Sliwa has only ramped up his campaign, packing his schedule and roaming across all five boroughs.—
Naaman Zhou,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The image above, a composite of eight days of observations taken in March when the spacecraft had its first clear view of the region, shows bright arcs sweeping around the pole — glowing traces left by magnetic structures drifting toward the sun's edge at unexpectedly high speeds.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
10 Nov. 2025
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Alex Iwobi, generally tasked with drifting inside from the flank and releasing a full-back on the overlap, started as a central midfielder.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Amazon is stocked with celeb-worthy chocolate and coffee-toned sneakers that blend comfort, support, and style—perfect for sightseeing, airport sprints, or just strolling through new cities.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Nov. 2025
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This sighting comes six days after Lawrence kicked off her Halloween celebrations early in New York, where she was spotted strolling around in a black witch hat.—
Kelsey Stewart,
Footwear News,
1 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Meandering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meandering. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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