navigate

verb

nav·​i·​gate ˈna-və-ˌgāt 

navigated; navigating

intransitive verb

1

: to travel by water : sail

navigated down to the mouth of the river

2

: to steer a course through a medium

specifically : to operate an airplane

navigate by instrument

3

: get around, move

was well enough to navigate under his own power

transitive verb

1

a

: to sail over, on, or through

able to navigate the deep ocean waters

b

: to make one's way over or through : traverse

… navigate the Internet via hypertext links connecting information-rich computers around the world.

—Stephanie Losee

2

a

: to steer or manage (a boat) in sailing

b

: to operate or control the course of

navigate an airplane

Synonyms of navigate

• steer

Examples of navigate in a Sentence

For thousands of years, sailors navigated by the stars.

How about if you drive and I navigate?

I'd need a map to navigate the city.

Only flat-bottomed boats can safely navigate the canal.

He has learned to navigate in rough waters.

The downtown area is easily navigated on foot.

She has trouble navigating the stairs with her crutches.

It took us 10 minutes to navigate through the parking lot to the exit.

The captain navigated the ship.

He has had experience navigating airplanes through storms.

Recent Examples on the Web

This year, there have been a lot of films that are expertly navigating this. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026

Gens-Ustjanauskas went on to help thousands of immigrants navigate complex immigration systems, assisting USCIS and other federal agencies, the Gens Family Project said. — Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026

That makes the result interesting, but also means the run should not be treated as a straightforward test of how well an AI can navigate an unmodified commercial game world. — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026

The new leadership team that Skydance is assembling under the direction of Ellison and Ynon Kreiz, just recruited from Mattel to serve as co-CEO, has to navigate that dynamic. — Todd Spangler, Variety, 3 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin navigatus, past participle of navigare, from navis ship + -igare (from agere to drive) — more at agent

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Rhymes for navigate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate

Kids Definition

navigate

verb

nav·​i·​gate ˈnav-ə-ˌgāt 

navigated; navigating

1

a

: to travel by water

b

: to sail over, on, or through

navigate the Atlantic Ocean

2

a

: to direct one's course in a ship or aircraft

b

: to control the course of : steer

3

: to make one's way about, over, or through

navigate the new website

navigate the school's halls