1
as in to traverse
to travel completely around
the first ship to circumnavigate the globe
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Learn about the native flora and fauna at the Seaside Nature Center, or borrow a free bike and cycle the Bike Loop trail that circumnavigates the park.
—
Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 20 Jan. 2026
Ko Samui is the third-largest island in the country but remains small enough to be circumnavigated in just a couple of hours by motorbike or car, making neighboring locations easy to access.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 26 Nov. 2025
The 16th-century adventurer, who first circumnavigated the globe by sea in 1522, wavers beneath the pressure of his pursuit, ultimately leading his men to mutiny and madness on the Malay Archipelago.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 18 Nov. 2025
In an attempt to become the first woman pilot to circumnavigate Earth, Earhart, along with navigator Fred Noonan, vanished in 1937 over the Pacific Ocean.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 14 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for circumnavigate
Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 20 Jan. 2026
Ko Samui is the third-largest island in the country but remains small enough to be circumnavigated in just a couple of hours by motorbike or car, making neighboring locations easy to access.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 26 Nov. 2025
The 16th-century adventurer, who first circumnavigated the globe by sea in 1522, wavers beneath the pressure of his pursuit, ultimately leading his men to mutiny and madness on the Malay Archipelago.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 18 Nov. 2025
In an attempt to become the first woman pilot to circumnavigate Earth, Earhart, along with navigator Fred Noonan, vanished in 1937 over the Pacific Ocean.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 14 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for circumnavigate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumnavigate
Verb
-
Only a few ships with ties to China, Pakistan and India have traversed through after Iranian officials authorized vessels from non-hostile nations.—
Leila Gharagozlou,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The Rock Creek Loop traverses approximately seven miles of ravines, creeks, subtropical forest, and small footbridges.—
Carrie Honaker,
Travel + Leisure,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Much of Colorado’s growth is now concentrated in a belt of counties stretching from Weld down to Elbert and El Paso counties, temporarily bypassing Arapahoe, which had the state’s biggest population loss in raw numbers.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The plot wasn’t far off, as so many once bustling towns — like the fictional Radiator Springs — nearly faded away after being bypassed by an interstate.—
Susan Montoya Bryan,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The 10-day mission involves circling the moon in a flyby manner (and not landing on the surface) and, in doing so, establishing the record for the farthest that humans have ever ventured into space.—
Michael Peregrine,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Financial regulators are already circling.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The unifying aspect of the recent cases is that they're crafted to circumvent Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which Congress passed in 1996 and President Bill Clinton signed into law.—
Jennifer Elias,Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Congress is on a two-week recess, but the Senate and House could move to fund all of DHS except ICE and CBP as early as Thursday using a procedure known as unanimous consent that allows the chambers to circumvent formal voting as long as no member objects.—
Sam Gringlas,
NPR,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Before being tapped for the administrator role, as a private citizen, Isaacman commissioned two flights to orbit worth tens of millions of dollars aboard SpaceX capsules.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2026
-
In addition, the telescope has detected more distant and less common populations, including roughly 380 trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) — icy bodies orbiting beyond Neptune.—
Samantha Mathewson,
Space.com,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Takaoka played a long arcing ball-ahead to Ocampo, who avoided goalkeeper James Pantemis — who had charged off his line — and rolled a shot from the edge of the penalty area inside the back post and into a wide-open net.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Refrain from entering water that might carry an electric current and avoid walking through floodwaters.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
On the Base — the area above the sheer cliffs that encircle Tristan and below Queen Mary’s Peak — a group herds sheep down from the mountain.—
NPR,
NPR,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Some people lamented on social media the empty spaces around a pond that used to be seamlessly encircled by flowering pink blossoms.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
What Alkassar, who lives on South Beach, does hope to do is lure not only Miami Beach residents and tourists but locals who have in recent times proved reluctant to cross the bridges from the mainland.—
Connie Ogle,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
-
So, while the dutiful reader is still turning over basic questions about the nature of witchcraft, the girls are already hurtling up the stairs and out of the basement, and Lucie is crossing paths with Isabelle, a hostile neighbor.—
Kristen Roupenian,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Circumnavigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumnavigate. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
