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In a dictionary, I found the word 'meander', which means 'wander'. I've heard a lot about the phrase including 'wander', but never about meander. So is it ok to say, "I meandered through the forest."? Is it the same as 'wandered'?

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    While it does strictly mean the same as "wander", "meander" is most often encountered in reference to a river winding across a landscape. Saying that you "meander through a forest" would be interpreted as saying that you wandered through it in a particular way, performing a sort of slow left-right slalom.
    – IanF1
    Commented Aug 29, 2015 at 8:18
  • Yep. Even when the dictionary defines it simply as identical in actual meaning, 'meander' carries the connotation of referring to a frequently changing direction, whereas 'wander' could refer to not only a back-and-forth path, but also a fairly straight (or, realistically, slightly curved in one direction) path through the forest, just as long as there's not a preplanned route or destination involved.
    – Dan Henderson
    Commented Aug 29, 2015 at 19:12

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You could use "meander"; however, it is more specific than "wander". (See IanF1's comment.)

meander verb

  1. to proceed by or take a winding or indirect course:
    the stream meandered through the valley

  2. to wander aimlessly; ramble:
    the talk meandered on

Source: Dictionary.com

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