meander
verb (used without object)
to proceed by or take a winding or indirect course.
meander
1 American
[mee-an-der]
/ miˈæn dər /
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
-
Usually meanders. turnings or windings; a winding path or course.
-
a circuitous movement or journey.
-
an intricate variety of fret or fretwork.
Meander
2
American
[mee-an-der]
/ miˈæn dər /
noun
Meander
1
British
/ miːˈændə /
noun
meander
2
British
/ mɪˈændə /
verb
-
to follow a winding course
-
to wander without definite aim or direction
noun
-
(often plural) a curve or bend, as in a river
-
(often plural) a winding course or movement
-
an ornamental pattern, esp as used in ancient Greek architecture
meander
Scientific
/ mē-ăn′dər /
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of meander
1570–80; < Latin maeander < Greek maíandros a winding, special use of Maíandros, the Menderes River, noted for its winding course
Explanation
To meander means to wander aimlessly on a winding roundabout course. If you want some time to yourself after school, you might meander home, taking the time to window shop and look around. Meander comes from a river in modern-day Turkey, the Maiandros, which winds and wanders on its course. Today, a stream or a path meanders, as does a person who walks somewhere in a roundabout fashion. If your speech meanders, you don't keep to the point. It's hard to understand what your teacher is trying to impart if he keeps meandering off with anecdotes and digressions. Pronounce meander with three syllables not two — me-AN-der.
Vocabulary lists containing meander
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Grade 10, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There are less rules outside, fewer boundaries: coffee dates prolong, walks meander, thoughts digress.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026
So every weekend, Disler and her girlfriend have an “adventure day” where they meander around a different neighborhood.
From Salon • Nov. 22, 2025
From a certain point of view, it makes sense to concentrate the art into discrete thematic galleries, and to treat the space between them as flowing interstitial fluid through which the visitor can meander happily.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 29, 2025
The novels meander discursively through time, so it does not matter where one begins.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025
I meander over, pretending to be really interested in the ground leading up to the group.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
