Thesaurus results for MEANDER

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

meander 1 of 2

verb

Definition of meander

as in to wander

to move about from place to place aimlessly theatergoers meandering around the lobby waiting for the play to start

Synonyms & Similar Words

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meander

2 of 2

noun

as in tangle

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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

Example 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

Xander Bogaerts’ two-run homer in the fourth inning set both starting pitchers on a different course, one that meandered from there toward a 7-5 victory over the Guardians. — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026 Kai embarks on meandering reflections reminiscent of Sepp the tuba player. — Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2026 The trail meanders along seasonal creeks that spring alive in winter. — Kalpana Mohan, Mercury News, 10 Aug. 2026 That’s how Drake Maye ended his latest two-minute drill at Patriots training camp Monday, a meandering march that began around midfield and ended with Maye hurrying the offense to the 3-yard line with 10 seconds on the clock. — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 10 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for meander

Recent Examples of Synonyms for meander

Verb

And, conversely, which (if any) caused folks to wander off hunting for a Pronto Pup instead.

— Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 31 Aug. 2026
And naturally your eyes wander where there is the most roster bloat — either at the tight end position (five players) or the offensive line (10).

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of wander

Noun

The Bell Jar Tracing the tangle of a new job in New York City and the simultaneous onrush of clinical depression, The Bell Jar brings the interior world of central character Esther Greenwood into stunning relief.

— Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2026
Penske has designed tracks through city blocks, but never through both federal and municipal grounds with a tangle of buildings that include the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission and the National Archives.

— Adam Kilgore, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of tangle

Noun

Arguably the standout set of the entire festival, her set was grimy and dark, featuring songs off her new album, Music, Fashion, Film, for the first time with a permanent snarl.

— Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2026
The wildly popular Instagram page was offline for a hot minute, leaving the general pop pining for videos on the myriad zany happenings in our city, from traffic snarls and celebrity shenanigans to animal encounters and fights outside the club.

— Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026

Definition of snarl

Verb

In 2018, the real-estate agent Glenn Rice was strolling on the beach and noticed the place.

— Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 28 Aug. 2026
Fairgoers strolling the grounds were also likely to run into House Speaker Lisa Demuth, who won the Republican primary for governor earlier this month and will face Klobuchar in November.

— Esme Murphy, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of stroll

Noun

The platform, which is now in beta, aims to give its users a one-stop shop to create games and publish them for mobile and web platforms, with support for TVs and Steam coming soon, and monetize them.

— Corbin Bolies, Variety, 25 Aug. 2026
The bootloading process is now streamlined enough that it can be completed without any downloads through a web interface after connecting the headset to a PC.

— Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of web

Verb

Closer to home, Roman will monitor small variations in light from stars near the center of the Milky Way galaxy in order to infer the presence of rogue planets drifting between the stars.

— Don Figer, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026
The other was drifting toward akolasia without noticing the drift.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of drift

Noun

The chase that follows finds Reacher and Green eluding several officers in Magic Gardens, the South Street art space dominated by Philadelphia artist Isaiah Zagar’s multimedia mosaic labyrinth.

— Chris Klimek, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026
But the Gregorys noticed Atlantans, or others familiar with our city’s quirky labyrinth of Peachtrees, were seeing the Queens song and weighing in.

— Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of labyrinth

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“Meander.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meander. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of meander

verb

noun

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Synonyms of meander

verb

noun

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