To meander means to wander aimlessly on a winding roundabout course. If you want some time to yourself after school, you might meander home, taking the time to window shop and look around.

Meander comes from a river in modern-day Turkey, the Maiandros, which winds and wanders on its course. Today, a stream or a path meanders, as does a person who walks somewhere in a roundabout fashion. If your speech meanders, you don't keep to the point. It's hard to understand what your teacher is trying to impart if he keeps meandering off with anecdotes and digressions. Pronounce meander with three syllables not two — me-AN-der.

Definitions of meander

v move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course

“the path meanders through the vineyards”
thread, wander, weave, wind
go via an indirect route or at no set pace
move along a winding path
Type of:
go, locomote, move, travel
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

n an aimless amble on a winding course

Type of:
amble, perambulation, promenade, saunter, stroll
a leisurely walk (usually in some public place)

n a bend or curve, as in a stream or river

a U-shaped curve in a stream
Type of:
curve, curved shape
the trace of a point whose direction of motion changes

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