- present participle of meander.
meandering
Americanadjective
-
taking a winding or indirect course.
The city of Budapest is divided into two parts by the meandering Danube River, spanned by several stunning bridges.
-
wandering aimlessly; proceeding seemingly without direction; rambling.
I'm unsure how I will condense a meandering narrative of my experiences into a thirty-second elevator pitch.
Things proceed in a meandering way between them, until suddenly their relationship comes to a devastatingly emotional climax.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of meandering
First recorded in 1610–20; meander ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; meander ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun sense
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.
Her one-year appointment as a visiting professor at a college in rural Greensbury, Vt., sets “Country People” in pleasantly meandering motion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Aged 10, he was introduced to the idea of spending several days on a narrowboat meandering through the countryside at a top speed of 4mph.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
"Kank lived in a landscape of meandering rivers and streams with seasonal ponds, inhabited by aquatic plants such as water lilies and animals including fish, insects, and various molluscs," says Dr. Motta.
From Science Daily ● May 29, 2026
Demographics for Unusual Tuesday range from late teens to septuagenarians, mingling and meandering as they await the start of the show.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
Rural Route 2 was dotted with pickup trucks meandering toward the towns of Snapfinger and Halleluia, Bay Springs and Puckett.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
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.