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 impossible happened with Liam and Noel Gallagher bruv-ing their differences aside and reuniting for a massive reunion tour, with the band circumnavigating the world’s stadiums starting this summer. Devon Ivie, Vulture, 3 Apr. 2025 The underpinnings of a global order can be traced to the age of discovery, when Europeans first learned to circumnavigate the globe, then established a presence at vast distances, and followed that with empires. Margaret MacMillan, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2025 Spoelstra charted out a map for Herro to circumnavigate by running into antithetical gaps on a possession-by-possession basis, creating inconsistencies that got Cleveland’s fatigued defense out of rhythm. Jared Weiss, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2025 The Drake Passage also gained attention online thanks to the Royal Caribbean 9-Month World Cruise, which circumnavigated the globe from December 2023 to September 2024. Bailey Richards, People.com, 3 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for circumnavigate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumnavigate
Verb
  • By definition, anybody attempting to move through Venice will meet some, or several, bodies of water to be traversed.
    Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
  • The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County offers for loan two lightweight, all-terrain wheelchairs, each designed to traverse dirt, gravel, grass, snow and mud, spokeswoman Beth Schirott said.
    Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • My team was supposed to do the landing on the moon, of course that got bypassed pretty fast.
    Jeff Spry, Space.com, 30 June 2025
  • His warlike actions in Iran, despite campaign promises to the contrary, blatantly bypassed the need to gain approval from the legislative branch of government.
    Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 29 June 2025
Verb
  • Dude’s a lifelong utility player — rock solid on guitar and vocals with the family band, while Willie circles the beat, and a team player with frequent Neil Young backing crew Promise of the Real.
    Will Hermes, Rolling Stone, 24 June 2025
  • Members of the president's national security team circled in and out of the Oval Office throughout much of the day to provide updates, the official said.
    David Brennan, ABC News, 23 June 2025
Verb
  • The case highlighted how independent voices can circumvent the gatekeeping position of corporate media and rally the public.
    Tom Blakely, Boston Herald, 27 June 2025
  • There’s no surefire way to keep AI companies from scraping news websites; even the Robots Exclusion Protocol, the standard opt-out method available to news publishers, is easily circumvented.
    Alex Reisner, The Atlantic, 25 June 2025
Verb
  • The crew of four will spend two weeks at the orbiting lab, performing dozens of experiments.
    Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 26 June 2025
  • The astronauts are due to arrive at the orbiting lab Thursday morning.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 June 2025
Verb
  • Don’t say Discovery The language in the Senate bill avoids any mention of the Smithsonian, Space Center Houston, Discovery, or even the space shuttle.
    Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 30 June 2025
  • Indeed, President Trump will probably never appeal his executive order losses in lower courts to avoid the embarrassment of losing in the Supreme Court populated with three Trump appointees.
    Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 30 June 2025
Verb
  • As of Wednesday evening, the fire crew successfully encircled the entire perimeter of the fire in control lines.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 26 June 2025
  • These are classic Quad features have been updated and authentically engineered, and work alongside a larger rotary control for the analog volume stage and is encircled with orange LEDs to show the current volume level.
    Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
Verb
  • Airplane passengers crossing the Indian Ocean who peered out their windows on Oct. 19, 2024, might have seen what looked like a fast-moving star suddenly flash and fade.
    Tom Brown, Space.com, 28 June 2025
  • The east and west crossing streets along the parade route will be closed, as will 4th Ave N from Broad Street to Denny Way, starting at noon for parade staging.
    Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 28 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Circumnavigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumnavigate. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.

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