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PlainSpell

meander

/miˈæn.dɚ/noun, verb

meander is spelled M-E-A-N-D-E-R: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,145th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, meander means “One of the turns of a winding, crooked, or involved course” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of meander is meanders.

How many letters and syllables are in meander?

Letters7: M-E-A-N-D-E-R
Syllables3 (from its American pronunciation)
In writingabout once in every 2 million words; the 42,145th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Rhymes with
Same letters

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is meander?

Meander appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,145th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce meander?

  • UK /miˈæn.də(ɹ)/
  • US /miˈæn.dɚ/

Meander has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-meander.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-meander.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with meander?

11 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as meander from its last stressed vowel (/ændəɹ/):

Spelled with the same letters in another order: reedman.

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of meander

  • meanders plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • meandering participle, present
  • meandered participle, past
  • meänders present, singular, he/she/it
  • meändering participle, present
  • meändered participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does meander mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    One of the turns of a winding, crooked, or involved course.

    the meanders of an old river, or of the veins and arteries in the body

  2. 2

    One of a series of regular sinuous curves, bends, loops, turns, or windings in the channel of a river, stream, or other watercourse

  3. 3

    A tortuous or winding journey.

  4. 4

    Synonym of Greek key, a decorative border; fretwork.

  5. 5

    A self-avoiding closed curve which intersects a line a number of times.

  6. 6

    obsoleteA path on which the directions, distances, and elevations are noted, as a part of a land survey.

  7. 7

    A decorative border consisting of a repeated linear motif, particularly of intersecting perpendicular lines.

verb

  1. 1

    To wind or turn in a course or passage

    The stream meandered through the valley.

  2. 2

    To be intricate.

    His speech meandered through various topics.

  3. 3

    To wind, turn, or twist; to make flexuous.

verb

as meänder
  1. 1

    rareRare spelling of meander.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Meander in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
GermanWindung (one of the turns of a course), Flusswindung, Mäander, Flussschlinge, Flussbiegung (geography: one of a series of regular curves in…), sich schlängeln (to wind or turn)
Frenchméandrer (to wind or turn), méandre (tortuous or intricate movement)
Portuguesemeandro (geography: one of a series of regular curves in…)
Spanishmeandro (geography: one of a series of regular curves in…)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does meander come from?

From Latin Maeander, from Ancient Greek Μαίανδρος (Maíandros) – a river in Asia Minor (present day Turkey) known for its winding course (modern Turkish Menderes).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after meander