maunder

[ mawn-der ]

See synonyms for: maunder maundering on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to talk in a rambling, foolish, or meaningless way.
to move, go, or act in an aimless, confused manner: He maundered through life without a single ambition.

Origin of maunder

First recorded in 1615–25; origin uncertain

Other words from maunder

maun·der·er, noun

Words Nearby maunder

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use maunder in a sentence

This one has a lot of maundering about fate and free will, which I can do without.
The 50 best Halloween songs of all time | Alexandra Petri | October 22, 2021 | Washington Post
And while they maunder along they stifle the forces of life which are trying to break through.
A Preface to Politics | Walter Lippmann
On this point maunder adds:—“If this be a mere chance coincidence, it seems to me a most extraordinary one.”
The Story of Eclipses | George Chambers
Though of course—Oh, how one does maunder on and to think, to think of the people who are really poor.
Howards End | E. M. Forster
Apian continued to maunder over the Ptolemaic theory and astrology in his lecture-room.
History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom | Andrew Dickson White

maunder regarded his results as demonstrating that magnetic disturbances originate in the sun.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 3 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for maunder

maunder

/ (ˈmɔːndə) /

verb

(intr) to move, talk, or act aimlessly or idly

Origin of maunder

C17: perhaps from obsolete maunder to beg, from Latin mendīcāre; see mendicant

Derived forms of maunder

maunderer, noun
maundering, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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