What does meander mean?
To meander is to follow a winding or indirect path, often while walking, traveling, speaking, or writing without a fixed destination or clear direction. The word carries a gentle, leisurely quality in physical descriptions, as in a river that meanders across a valley, but it can also suggest that a discussion or course of action is evasive, rambling, or inefficient. As a noun, a meander refers to a winding curve or an extended, circuitous journey. Its historical origin is unusually vivid: it comes through Latin from the Greek name for the Maeander River in ancient Anatolia, whose winding channels gave English its model for a path that repeatedly turns aside. Meander is consequently useful when describing both literal curves and figurative departures from a direct route, a subject, or a plan.
To follow a winding or indirect course, or to move without a definite direction.
"The hikers meandered through the forest instead of following the marked trail."
Can also describe speaking or writing in a rambling, indirect way.
A winding curve or path, or an act or instance of moving in a winding or aimless way.
"The stream follows a series of meanders through the marsh."
A meander may refer to a specific curve in a river or path, or more broadly to a long, indirect journey.
The plural meanders refers to winding curves or paths, or to instances of moving or traveling in a winding way.
"The river's meanders are especially pronounced after the rain."
The word meander comes from the Maeander, an ancient river in southwestern Turkey whose famously winding course became the model for the word's meaning.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of meander
The word entered English through Latin meandrus, from Greek meandros, a name associated with the Maeander River in southwestern Anatolia. The river's winding course made the name a metaphor for a circuitous or indirect route, and English developed both the verb and noun meanings from that image. The related name Maeander preserves the same historical source.
Related word forms
How meander is actually used
Meander is formal-neutral and can describe physical movement, speech, writing, or an indirect course of action. It often suggests a gentle or unhurried wandering, though it can also convey a lack of directness or focus.
Easily confused with meander
Both can mean to move without a fixed direction, but meander usually emphasizes a winding or indirect course, whereas wander more broadly means to travel or move aimlessly.