compass

verb com·pass \ ˈkəm-pəs also ˈkäm- \

|Updated on: 7 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: compass in a Sentence

Definition of compass

compassed; compassing; compasses

transitive verb

1 : to devise or contrive often with craft or skill : plot

" … persons … who have compassed my destruction … "
—Charles Dickens

2 : encompass

a lake compassed by mountains

3 a : bring about, achieve

… none can compass more than they intend …
—Alexander Pope

b : to get into one's possession or power : obtain

He compassed a vast estate.

4 : comprehend

could not compass the seriousness of the problem

—

compassable

play \ˈkəm-pə-sə-bəl also ˈkäm-\ adjective

See compass defined for kids

Examples of compass in a Sentence

attempting more than his modest abilities could compass
the great age of exploration, when ships of sail compassed the earth

Recent Examples of compass from the Web

True to their name, though, sun compasses only work in the sun.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Vikings Could Have Used Crystals For Navigation," 4 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'compass.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of compass

Middle English, from Anglo-French cumpasser to measure, from Vulgar Latin *compassare to pace off, from Latin com- + passus pace

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First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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compass Synonyms

Phrases

pick up on;

compass

noun

Definition of compass

1 a : boundary, circumference

within the compass of the city walls

b : a circumscribed space

crammed into a narrow compass

c : range, scope

the compass of my voice

2 : a curved or roundabout course

… a compass of seven days' journey …
—2 Kings 3:9 (King James Version)

3 a : a device for determining directions by means of a magnetic needle or group of needles turning freely on a pivot and pointing to the magnetic north

b : any of various nonmagnetic devices that indicate direction

c : an instrument for describing circles or transferring measurements that consists of two pointed branches joined at the top by a pivot —usually used in plural — called also pair of compasses

4 : direction 6c

his moral compass

See compass defined for English-language learners

Examples of compass in a Sentence

He always carries a compass when he walks in the woods.
His religion is the compass that guides him.
Interest rates serve as a compass for determining whether to buy or sell stocks.
The character in the movie had no moral compass to tell him that stealing was wrong.

Recent Examples of compass from the Web

With many of its rivals under fire, Microsoft has aggressively tried to position itself as the moral compass of the industry.

— New York Times, "Microsoft Urges Congress to Regulate Use of Facial Recognition," 13 July 2018
With Misty out of the picture, Luke also tells Sugar to send his love interest Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson), the moral compass of the entire Defenders world, home.

— refinery29.com, "What That Disappointing Luke Cage Ending Means For The Future," 27 June 2018
Travelers used the skies as a compass, following the stars to know where to go.

— olivia b. waxman, Time, "Where Do Zodiac Signs Come From? Here's the True History Behind Your Horoscope," 21 June 2018
Whether cow, chicken, goat, or sheep, the moral compass of society seems to have settled on an unofficial policy that escaped animals should be allowed to live.

— Longreads, "Wild At Heart," 17 May 2018
Cameras caught DeChambeau using a drawing compass during the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands three weeks ago.

— dargan southard, USA TODAY, "Bryson DeChambeau says compass was never meant to 'skirt the rules'," 11 July 2018
With her moral compass out of the picture, the audience shoulders that burden.

— katie walsh, Detroit Free Press, "Review: ‘Sicario’ sequel is relentlessly grim," 28 June 2018
Dr Dreyer and Dr Warrant suggest that bogongs use a combination of magnetic compasses and topography.

— The Economist, "The first clear evidence of a sense of magnetism in insects," 21 June 2018
My favorite John Donne poems use the compass and map as visual metaphors for vague things like love or the soul.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "Drought In Post-Apartheid Cape Town: An Interview with Eve Fairbanks," 12 June 2018

Illustration of compass

Origin and Etymology of compass

see ¹compass

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

compass Synonyms

Synonyms

border, borderline, bound, boundary, brim, circumference, confines, edge, edging, end, frame, fringe, hem, margin, perimeter, periphery, rim, skirt, skirting, verge;

Near Antonyms

center, core, heart;

inner, inside, interior, middle, within;

Related Words

ambit;

brink, crest, curb, cusp, lip;

ceiling, maximum;

demarcation, extent, limitation, measure, mere, restriction, termination;

borderland, frontier, march, outskirts, pale, selvage;

lap;

shore;

Synonym Discussion of compass

range, gamut, compass, sweep, scope, orbit mean the extent that lies within the powers of something (as to cover or control). range is a general term indicating the extent of one's perception or the extent of powers, capacities, or possibilities.

- the entire range of human experience

gamut suggests a graduated series running from one possible extreme to another.

- a performance that ran the gamut of emotions

compass implies a sometimes limited extent of perception, knowledge, or activity.

- your concerns lie beyond the narrow compass of this study

sweep suggests extent, often circular or arc-shaped, of motion or activity.

- the book covers the entire sweep of criminal activity

scope is applicable to an area of activity, predetermined and limited, but somewhat flexible.

- as time went on, the scope of the investigation widened

orbit suggests an often circumscribed range of activity or influence within which forces work toward accommodation.

- within that restricted orbit they tried to effect social change

compass

adjective

Definition of compass

: forming a curve : curved

a compass timber

First Known Use of compass

1523

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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COMPASS Defined for English Language Learners

compass

noun

Definition of compass for English Language Learners

: a device that is used to find direction by means of a needle that always points north
: something that helps a person make choices about what is right, effective, etc.
: a tool that consists of two pointed sticks joined at the top and that is used for measuring distances