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
  • As a young man, Francisco traversed it on horseback, eking out a living by draining resin from the towering pines.
    — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Miles of steel cables were drilled at least a foot deep into the mountain rock, to ensure dozens of climbers are safe to traverse the mountainside simultaneously.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of traverse
Verb
  • The California Highway Patrol recommended motorists use Folsom Boulevard to bypass the closure, which followed a fatal shooting involving officers on the freeway just west of Hazel Avenue shortly after midnight.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The Blue and Silver lines were bypassing the Addison Road station because of the shooting investigation, according to Metro.
    — Thomas Mates, Baltimore Sun, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of bypass
Verb
  • Ohtani returned to the lineup Monday and felt something in his arm after a swing, circling his right arm afterward.
    — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Kristin Hannah fans have another date to circle on their 2027 calendars.
    — Jennifer McClellan, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of circle
Verb
  • In 2026, independent arbitrators have also ruled against the administration’s efforts to circumvent labor agreements with some federal workers.
    — The Conversation, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2026
  • To get the work done, his administration has found ways to circumvent the procedural obstacles that tend to slow federal projects.
    — Janay Kingsberry, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of circumvent
Verb
  • Astronomers have witnessed a small, icy body that orbits the sun out beyond Jupiter transforming into a comet, providing a missing link between comets and inert bodies called centaurs.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Happily—if that’s the right word to use—there are probably no planets orbiting S301.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of orbit
Verb
  • During the prime years of her career, while widely acknowledged as an exceptional Schubert singer with impeccable German diction, Anderson still avoided expounding on the music.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Bowman just got out from under a massive long-term contract (Darnell Nurse), and should avoid another with an aging (albeit substantial) talent.
    — Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of avoid
Verb
  • Dumas watched, charmed, his arms encircling his wife’s shoulders, and accepted an ice-cream sundae in a silver parfait cup.
    — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Instead of gold watches, silver handcuffs encircled their wrists.
    — Jonny Hallam, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of encircle
Verb
  • The Bills are keeping their fingers crossed that Hairston or Igbinosun becomes that answer.
    — Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Migration remains one of the most heated political issues in Britain, despite the number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats falling to its lowest level since 2020, according to the Home Office.
    — Kara Fox, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 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 14 Sep. 2026.

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