meander 1 of 2

meander

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb meander contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of meander are ramble, roam, rove, traipse, and wander. While all these words mean "to go about from place to place usually without a plan or definite purpose," meander implies a winding or intricate course suggestive of aimless or listless wandering.

the river meanders for miles through rich farmland

When would ramble be a good substitute for meander?

The words ramble and meander can be used in similar contexts, but ramble stresses carelessness and indifference to one's course or objective.

the speaker rambled on without ever coming to the point

When might roam be a better fit than meander?

The meanings of roam and meander largely overlap; however, roam suggests wandering about freely and often far afield.

liked to roam through the woods

When can rove be used instead of meander?

While in some cases nearly identical to meander, rove suggests vigorous and sometimes purposeful roaming.

armed brigands roved over the countryside

When is traipse a more appropriate choice than meander?

Although the words traipse and meander have much in common, traipse implies a course that is erratic but may sometimes be purposeful.

traipsed all over town looking for the right dress

When is it sensible to use wander instead of meander?

The synonyms wander and meander are sometimes interchangeable, but wander implies an absence of or an indifference to a fixed course.

fond of wandering about the square just watching the people

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of meander
Verb
The friends traveled to the Circle City with tickets for Night 1 of the Indianapolis shows and were meandering about downtown continuing to soak up the Swiftie spirit. Holly V. Hays, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Nov. 2024 This was usually reserved for just two characters at a time, however, with the third generally meandering off to the side. George Yang, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
Invasive buckthorn has taken over the trails that meander through the wooded stand in McGovern Park. Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2024 The Blue Hole Trail is just half-mile long and an easy meander through the forest and cypress floodplain to Blue Hole Spring. Terry Ward, Travel + Leisure, 20 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for meander 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for meander
Verb
  • Children on the autism spectrum tend to wander, or elope, from home and other safe places at a higher rate than their peers, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
    Elizabeth Chuck, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024
  • Some bucks might wander 5 to 8 miles or more, while others move 2 miles or less.
    Michael Hanback, Outdoor Life, 7 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • Six weeks later, what began as a missing persons case became a murder mystery, as Karen's body was found hidden beneath a tangle of vines by a caretaker near Bledsoe Cemetery in Dyer County.
    Gemma Schneider, ABC News, 1 Nov. 2024
  • There’s also a big tangle of conflicting feelings and emotional contexts at play here.
    Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2024
Verb
  • The service has roaming agreements with hundreds of carriers to support connectivity worldwide.
    PCMAG, PCMAG, 12 Nov. 2024
  • The atoms in this liquid metallic hydrogen are squeezed so tightly that its electrons are free to roam.
    Benjamin Roulston, Discover Magazine, 7 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • The pipes are packed into the snarl of infrastructure under the streets that includes water and gas mains, power lines and fiber-optic cables.
    Patrick McGeehan, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024
  • Early 2021: Shipping snarls and worker shortages from the coronavirus pandemic continue to hurt the supply April 2021: Inflation rates cross 4% and increase rapidly Early 2022: Energy and food prices spike due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
    Trefis Team, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • On the Thursday before the floods, after canceling reservations, Goss strolled through town and was mildly surprised to see residents stacking sandbags in front of doorways.
    Chris Kenning, USA TODAY, 30 Oct. 2024
  • So far, McLeod has strolled through Barnsdall Park with Ed Begley, Jr., hiked the Arroyo Seco with actor Dan Stevens and traversed the Bunker Hill Pedway with comedian Jon Gabrus.
    Raef Harrison, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • Today's enterprise technology stack is, by design, a complex web of AI models, APIs and microservices.
    Rajat Bhargava, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
  • An aphid had flown into a spider web and tried in vain to escape from the sticky threads.
    Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 20 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • The small projector lives on any nightstand or table, casting a slowly drifting sky of stars across the ceiling and walls.
    Malia Griggs, SELF, 21 Nov. 2024
  • Piano arpeggios drift in on the soundtrack, suggesting something lighter and more accepting even as the music flirts with atonality.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 15 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • Turns out the Goblin King (a very campy David Bowie) is to blame and Sarah must solve a labyrinth—filled with creepy muppets—to rescue her brother.
    Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 19 Oct. 2024
  • The deal that is expected to install Skydance chief David Ellison as chairman, CEO and hopefully savior of Paramount Global is a labyrinth of entities, trusts and transactions.
    Kim Masters, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Sep. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Meander.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meander. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

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