circumnavigate

verb

ˌsər-kəm-ˈna-və-ˌgāt How to pronounce circumnavigate (audio)
Definition of circumnavigatenext
1
as in to traverse
to travel completely around the first ship to circumnavigate the globe

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 The first Global Ocean Sampling Expedition, which used Venter’s own yacht, circumnavigated the globe between 2005 and 2006. — Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 30 Apr. 2026 The Apollo 8 photo, however, showed Earth reemerging into view, rather than disappearing, as astronauts Bill Anders, Frank Borman and Jim Lovell circumnavigated the moon. — Denise Chow, NBC news, 7 Apr. 2026 During the 1969 Apollo 10 mission — the one in which Thomas Stafford, John Young and Eugene Cernan circumnavigated the moon — Stafford reported back to mission control on Day 6 of the mission that a piece of waste was floating through the cabin, according to once-confidential government documents. — Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2026 Is there a market for a live-aboard cruise ship that will visit 140 countries and circumnavigate the world? — Michael Goldstein, Forbes.com, 18 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for circumnavigate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumnavigate
  1. traverse
  2. bypass
  3. circle
  4. circumvent
  5. orbit
  6. avoid
  7. encircle
  8. cross
Verb
  • Tehran meanwhile has tried to strengthen its leverage by saying crew members must gain permission to traverse the strait along routes approved by its officials.
    — Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 7 July 2026
  • The first Spanish expedition to California in 1542 was followed about 220 years later when Gaspar de Portolá and Franciscan monk Junipero Serra traversed the coastal lands.
    — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 3 July 2026
Definition of traverse
Verb
  • Personalization designed to bypass their judgment is manipulation.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
  • Criminals are also shifting tactics by bypassing technological firewalls and targeting people directly, according to two recent research reports on the topic.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 7 July 2026
Definition of bypass
Verb
  • Tour du Mont Blanc circles the highest mountain in the Alps, spanning France, Switzerland and Italy.
    — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 10 July 2026
  • Potential contenders including former health chief Nirav Shah and ex-Senate president Troy Jackson are circling, while disillusioned voters liken Platner’s exit to Democrats’ last-minute scramble to replace Joe Biden.
    — Kimberlee Kruesi, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
Definition of circle
Verb
  • The case garnered national interest because Oregon's new law targets the loopholes large staffing firms have been employing to circumvent state corporate medicine laws.
    — Alex Olgin, NPR, 3 July 2026
  • The amendments would also give the commissioner power to demand information from third parties, including age assurance technology providers, to test claims made by platforms about how children continued to circumvent the ban.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 2026
Definition of circumvent
Verb
  • The space agency shared a video showing fireworks over Los Angeles as seen from the Earth-orbiting outpost.
    — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 7 July 2026
  • SpaceX launched a passel of satellites to orbit early Tuesday morning (July 7).
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of orbit
Verb
  • After Betts’ single allowed the Dodgers to take the lead, Tanner Scott (13) shut down the Rockies with back-to-back strikeouts, avoiding the team’s eighth series loss of the season.
    — Liana Handler, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
  • Refrain from entering water that might carry an electric current and avoid walking through floodwaters.
    — NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 9 July 2026
Definition of avoid
Verb
  • The duo also bet much of the crowd each night is people from the neighborhoods that encircle it.
    — Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 7 July 2026
  • The butterfly encircles Larsson's eye, with its wings spanning the whole area from her inner brow to well past its tip.
    — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 6 July 2026
Definition of encircle
Verb
  • Traffic through the Strait had remained steady in recent days but was not increasing, according to a post from the UKMTO Sunday, which warned risks remained for vessels crossing the crucial waterway.
    — Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 7 July 2026
  • The first shot sees Haaland sitting in a folding chair with his arms strongly crossed while wearing his red, white and blue kit.
    — Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026
Definition of cross

Browse Nearby Words

circumlocutory
circumnavigate
circumnavigated
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Circumnavigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumnavigate. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on circumnavigate

Nglish: Translation of circumnavigate for Spanish Speakers

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