as in rambling
passing from one topic to another
a meandering interview with the presidential hopeful that covered everything from his family life to his proposed foreign policy
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in wandering
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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Recent Examples of meandering
Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 30 Mar. 2026
Your littlest charges will marvel at the size of the camels, tortoises and giraffes lumbering about the zoo’s meandering paths, and then eagerly pet goats and sheep in the farmyard.
—Susan McDonald, The Providence Journal, 26 Mar. 2026
In Houston, passengers at George Bush Intercontinental Airport spent hours Tuesday navigating meandering security lines that twisted and turned across multiple floors.
—Arkansas Online, 25 Mar. 2026
But closer inspection of the current Farm Bill that is now meandering through Congress — entitled The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 — reveals some potentially troubling inclusions worth digging into.
—Anthony Pahnke, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
The west Londoners sit 10th and appear to be meandering towards another mid-table finish.
—Mark Carey, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
These stylistic choices highlight Blake’s songwriting instincts, which on other records could be drowned out by the overbearing production or long, meandering runtimes.
—Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 12 Mar. 2026
Former safety leads at chatbot companies told us guardrails to protect against harmful conversations are most likely to falter in long, meandering conversations.
—Allison Gordon, CNN Money, 11 Mar. 2026
After passing Tacoma and Olympia, the route continues south through Washington’s lush, green forests, meandering rivers, and quiet towns tucked between tall trees.
—Abby Price, Travel + Leisure, 9 Mar. 2026
Verb
Overtopping its banks in flood, willfully changing its course, meandering without any regard for imaginary lines written across terrain, water presents a serious problem to those who police those imaginary lines.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 30 Mar. 2026
Your littlest charges will marvel at the size of the camels, tortoises and giraffes lumbering about the zoo’s meandering paths, and then eagerly pet goats and sheep in the farmyard.
—Susan McDonald, The Providence Journal, 26 Mar. 2026
In Houston, passengers at George Bush Intercontinental Airport spent hours Tuesday navigating meandering security lines that twisted and turned across multiple floors.
—Arkansas Online, 25 Mar. 2026
But closer inspection of the current Farm Bill that is now meandering through Congress — entitled The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 — reveals some potentially troubling inclusions worth digging into.
—Anthony Pahnke, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
The west Londoners sit 10th and appear to be meandering towards another mid-table finish.
—Mark Carey, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
These stylistic choices highlight Blake’s songwriting instincts, which on other records could be drowned out by the overbearing production or long, meandering runtimes.
—Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 12 Mar. 2026
Former safety leads at chatbot companies told us guardrails to protect against harmful conversations are most likely to falter in long, meandering conversations.
—Allison Gordon, CNN Money, 11 Mar. 2026
After passing Tacoma and Olympia, the route continues south through Washington’s lush, green forests, meandering rivers, and quiet towns tucked between tall trees.
—Abby Price, Travel + Leisure, 9 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for meandering
Adjective
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The North Carolina folk-rock band’s quiet and rambling third album exists in a cloud of dreamy contemplation.—
Jayson Greene,
Pitchfork,
1 Apr. 2026
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Trump’s speech was at times entertaining, rambling, repetitive, and combative.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Wear it with sandals to the beach, throw on sneakers for wandering around town, and add a cardigan when the evening gets breezy.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Apr. 2026
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In addition to wandering tourists, expect to see theater crew, set designers, actors, and matronly sensei in pastel kimonos and big, pinned up hairdos haunting the vicinity.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Chicago is a beautiful city and shouldn’t have to deal with kids roaming around with nothing to do.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
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Sac State is the host school at Golden 1 Center for this event, which means more familiar faces roaming the arena, including Orr, Bill Macriss, Jason Spencer, Brian Berger, Ryan Bjork and others.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Brent crude futures for May delivery climbed to their near peak in the futures market Sunday evening, before drifting down to $113 on Monday.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
30 Mar. 2026
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Investors have grown more anxious about inflation, with Treasury yields rising and consumer surveys showing short‑term price expectations drifting upward.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The change of seasons opens up all sorts of possibilities, from long walks through woods to strolling along city streets to drives through the countryside.—
Ed Silverman,
STAT,
3 Apr. 2026
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Outside, the Jill Griesse Historic Garden is always open for strolling among the magnolias and soaring plume poppies.—
Midwest Living,
Midwest Living,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Meandering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meandering. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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