navigate
verb
nav·i·gate
ˈna-və-ˌgāt 
navigated; navigating
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
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
Stephanie Losee2
a
: to steer or manage (a boat) in sailing
b
: to operate or control the course of
navigate an airplane
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
As hallucinations of past heartbreaks force them to confront shared memories, Evelyn and David must navigate love and career pressures to see if a second-chance at romance is possible.
—Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 29 Nov. 2025
How to Get Around Culebra's tiny size makes navigating the island a breeze.
—Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 29 Nov. 2025
The novel Elphie follows the witch from infancy, shaped by her mother Melena’s impulsiveness and her father Frex’s stern piety, and navigating the jealousies that arise with the arrivals of her siblings, Nessarose and Shell.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2025
Subsequently, Sydney must balance her professional goals with her growing feelings — all while navigating competition from other potential buyers and the family legacy behind the bubbly empire.
—Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 29 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for navigate
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.
Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 29 Nov. 2025
How to Get Around Culebra's tiny size makes navigating the island a breeze.
—Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 29 Nov. 2025
The novel Elphie follows the witch from infancy, shaped by her mother Melena’s impulsiveness and her father Frex’s stern piety, and navigating the jealousies that arise with the arrivals of her siblings, Nessarose and Shell.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2025
Subsequently, Sydney must balance her professional goals with her growing feelings — all while navigating competition from other potential buyers and the family legacy behind the bubbly empire.
—Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 29 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for navigate
Cite this Entry
“Navigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/navigate. Accessed 30 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share