circumnavigate

verb

ˌsər-kəm-ˈna-və-ˌgāt How to pronounce circumnavigate (audio)
Definition of circumnavigatenext
1
as in to traverse
to travel completely around the first ship to circumnavigate the globe

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to bypass
to avoid by going around we can circumnavigate the traffic jam if we take the next exit

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of circumnavigate Havertz might be preferred at No 9 given the technical level of Arsenal’s opposition, as well as PSG’s pressing capabilities, which might require longer passes into the front line to circumnavigate. — Liam Tharme, New York Times, 31 May 2026 The first Global Ocean Sampling Expedition, which used Venter’s own yacht, circumnavigated the globe between 2005 and 2006. — Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 30 Apr. 2026 The Apollo 8 photo, however, showed Earth reemerging into view, rather than disappearing, as astronauts Bill Anders, Frank Borman and Jim Lovell circumnavigated the moon. — Denise Chow, NBC news, 7 Apr. 2026 During the 1969 Apollo 10 mission — the one in which Thomas Stafford, John Young and Eugene Cernan circumnavigated the moon — Stafford reported back to mission control on Day 6 of the mission that a piece of waste was floating through the cabin, according to once-confidential government documents. — Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for circumnavigate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumnavigate
  1. traverse
  2. bypass
  3. circle
  4. circumvent
  5. orbit
  6. avoid
  7. encircle
  8. cross
Verb
  • Tehran meanwhile has tried to strengthen its leverage by saying crew members must gain permission to traverse the strait along routes approved by its officials.
    — Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 7 July 2026
  • The first Spanish expedition to California in 1542 was followed about 220 years later when Gaspar de Portolá and Franciscan monk Junipero Serra traversed the coastal lands.
    — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 3 July 2026
Definition of traverse
Verb
  • When a user asks an AI to find a running shoe that can arrive by Friday for under $100, the agent bypasses the company's storefront entirely.
    — Arne Jeroschewski, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • Commissioners also discussed Florida’s Live Local Act, which allows qualifying housing developments to bypass certain local zoning regulations.
    — Sofia Baltodano, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026
Definition of bypass
Verb
  • The evening of the shoot, there was frequent hum of tourist helicopters circling the island, and a few party boats blasting music, which threatened to put a damper on the plans.
    — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 3 July 2026
  • Minutes later the pike was just under the surface, circling close to the boat.
    — Jack G. Mell, Outdoor Life, 2 July 2026
Definition of circle
Verb
  • The case garnered national interest because Oregon's new law targets the loopholes large staffing firms have been employing to circumvent state corporate medicine laws.
    — Alex Olgin, NPR, 3 July 2026
  • The amendments would also give the commissioner power to demand information from third parties, including age assurance technology providers, to test claims made by platforms about how children continued to circumvent the ban.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 2026
Definition of circumvent
Verb
  • The space agency shared a video showing fireworks over Los Angeles as seen from the Earth-orbiting outpost.
    — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 7 July 2026
  • SpaceX launched a passel of satellites to orbit early Tuesday morning (July 7).
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of orbit
Verb
  • Other methods to reduce the harm from sweltering temperatures include more breaks and flexible shifts so workers can avoid the midday sun, according to the WHO.
    — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 2 July 2026
  • While the morning may feel personal — especially if someone questions your judgment, appearance or direction — avoid treating their feedback (or silence) as rejection.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 1 July 2026
Definition of avoid
Verb
  • While most people enjoy eating the arils after separating them from the bitter white membrane that encircle them, other parts of the fruit can also be used to make juice or extracts.
    — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 2 July 2026
  • The island had gone from farm and pasture in the nineteenth century to nature preserves and residential property in the twentieth, its silvery shingled homes encircled by forests and deer.
    — Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
Definition of encircle
Verb
  • Traffic through the Strait had remained steady in recent days but was not increasing, according to a post from the UKMTO Sunday, which warned risks remained for vessels crossing the crucial waterway.
    — Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 7 July 2026
  • The first shot sees Haaland sitting in a folding chair with his arms strongly crossed while wearing his red, white and blue kit.
    — Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026
Definition of cross

Browse Nearby Words

circumlocutory
circumnavigate
circumnavigated
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Circumnavigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumnavigate. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on circumnavigate

Nglish: Translation of circumnavigate for Spanish Speakers

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