Meander is a term specifically for rivers. When a river bends around an area, the river is termed as meandering. Many rivers will meander in many different places. The reasons that these rivers meander is due to an obstacle being in the way. The water in the river is trying to flow through an area to eventually dump the water into a larger body of water.
When a rock or large hill can’t be moved by the flow of water, the river will then meander around the boulder or large and heavy object. Many times when a river flows down the mountain, it meanders by twisting and turning down the mountain dodging the trees and rocks that are in its path.