circumnavigating

verb

present participle of circumnavigate
1
as in circling
to travel completely around the first ship to circumnavigate the globe

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in bypassing
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 circumnavigating Two hundred seventy-two miles of scenery are signposted by pretty blue and orange ribbons circumnavigating the island, representing the ocean and those ubiquitous mandarins. — Gary Shteyngart, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Nov. 2023 Superpressure balloons can last for months and travel long distances, potentially circumnavigating the globe, all the while reporting their position. — IEEE Spectrum, 31 Jan. 2026 The countdown clock is officially rolling at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where four astronauts are preparing to take off on the mission of a lifetime — circumnavigating the moon and returning humans to deep space for the first time in five decades as part of Artemis II. — Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumnavigating
  1. circling
  2. bypassing
  3. traversing
  4. circumventing
  5. orbiting
  6. avoiding
  7. encircling
  8. crossing
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 circling
Verb
  • The country was able to keep its oil business mostly afloat by bypassing the strait with pipelines that shipped oil to a port in Yanbu on the other side of the nation.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
  • Many stores now donate directly to food pantries, bypassing the food bank altogether.
    — John Lowrey, The Conversation, 6 July 2026
Definition of bypassing
Verb
  • From the Higgs to the Next Frontier The road to the FCC remains long, and Europe has been traversing it for years.
    — Florencia Canelli, Scientific American, 1 July 2026
  • Spending a year in California versus a month traversing small town America is a big difference.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of traversing
Verb
  • Australia doubled the maximum penalty imposed on social media companies that fail to comply with the ban on under-16 users, as evidence grew that children are circumventing restrictions.
    — Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 30 June 2026
  • Another means of circumventing the protection of the real property company is through veil piercing using an alter ego theory.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of circumventing
Verb
  • For a generation of millennial founders and the professionals orbiting them, the most consequential business development of the year is happening nowhere near an office, a conference badge, or a LinkedIn message.
    — Jasmine Browley, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been probing for atmospheres around other rocky worlds orbiting red dwarfs, such as those in the TRAPPIST-1 system.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of orbiting
Verb
  • There are pros and cons to trying to build strategies based on avoiding specific companies, noted Warren Hurt, chief investment officer at F&M Trust.
    — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 7 July 2026
  • Still, avoiding a direct conversation will only increase the pressure.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026
Definition of avoiding
Verb
  • Cheers roared from the crowd encircling the concrete arena as two skateboarders slammed into each other at top speed.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 25 June 2026
  • Styled by Brad Goreski, Moore wore a custom cobalt blue Self Portrait gown with an oversized bow encircling the hips, falling into a train.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 22 May 2026
Definition of encircling
Verb
  • Prosecutors said the children were then transported to El Paso after crossing the border.
    — Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026
  • Hopes have risen that crude supplies will improve markedly with the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that’s key for the world’s oil transport, even though the number of ships crossing the strait is still limited.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 July 2026
Definition of crossing

Browse Nearby Words

circumnavigates
circumnavigating
circumscribe
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Cite this Entry

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

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More from Merriam-Webster on circumnavigating

Nglish: Translation of circumnavigating for Spanish Speakers

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