CIRCUMNAVIGATE Synonyms: 36 Similar and Opposite Words

circumnavigate

verb

ˌsər-kəm-ˈna-və-ˌgāt

Definition of circumnavigate

as in to traverse

to travel completely around the first ship to circumnavigate the globe

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 That said, Amazon also has a history of disabling apps that let users circumnavigate its home screen that Fire devices, including Fire Sticks and Fire TVs, have increasingly used for ads. — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 30 June 2026 Chicagoan Bill Pinkney sailed into Boston Harbor having circumnavigated the globe all by himself, the third American and the first Black person to have accomplished the feat by taking a route that included the five southernmost capes. — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 9 June 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for circumnavigate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumnavigate

Verb

In it, a young kid traverses New Orleans to fish, goes door to door selling his game, and learns how to drive, among other things.

— Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 6 Nov. 2026
As the Orion spacecraft traversed the far side of the moon, the Artemis II crew watched Earth disappear below the lunar horizon before losing radio contact with our planet.

— Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of traverse

Verb

The controversy centers around whether MegaSpeed was helping Chinese firms bypass chip export controls.

— Brittney Melton, NPR, 10 Nov. 2026
Her lawsuit alleges the department bypassed public hearings required by Proposition 103, and instead negotiated settlements with insurers seeking increases in auto and home premiums.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2026

Definition of bypass

Verb

And if Democrats take the Senate as well on Tuesday, party-line legislation to circumvent the filibuster should be on the table, Casar said.

— Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026
For years, the city received a waiver that allowed ACS to circumvent state law requiring all young people in detention to have their own secure bedroom.

— Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of circumvent

Verb

Billions of small rocky, icy bodies orbit the Sun out past Neptune.

— Phil Plait, Scientific American, 6 Nov. 2026
The extrasolar planet, or exoplanet, in question is 51 Eridani b (51 ERI b), a gas giant with the same mass as around 11 Jupiters that orbits a star located around 97 light-years away.

— Robert Lea, Space.com, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of orbit

Verb

Rather than giving direct answers, the company said, AI Mode will provide a step-by-step breakdown of the problem to avoid short-circuiting learning.

— Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 12 Nov. 2026
The state can also avoid large increases in uncompensated care that hospitals may not be able to absorb as Medicaid supplemental payments to hospitals have also been cut.

— Stan Soloway, Boston Herald, 11 Nov. 2026

Definition of avoid

Verb

The encircling coils generate the magnetic field needed to confine the plasma, while the smaller shaping magnets fine-tune its configuration.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 Nov. 2026
Al-Mughayyir, a town of 3,000 increasingly encircled by Israeli settlements, is about seven miles from Deir Jarir — the trip can take over an hour due to military checkpoints.

— Suheir Hashimeh, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of encircle

Verb

The cruise ship Odyssey has been at sea for two years and still has a year to go to complete the globe-crossing journey.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026
Eight minutes and 33 seconds into the episode, Damon and Letterman play gentlemen silently crossing the street as the camera pans to the home of George Russell, who’s recovering inside after getting shot at the end of season three.

— Alex Zalben, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of cross

Browse Nearby Words

circumlocutory

circumnavigate

circumnavigated

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“Circumnavigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumnavigate. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of circumnavigate

verb

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