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
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Recent Examples of circumnavigate
About 2,300 runners line up to circumnavigate Mont Blanc on foot—106 miles, 33,000 feet of climbing, and 10 alpine summits.
—
Sierra Shafer, Outside, 29 Aug. 2025
Enchanted Circle Drive The Enchanted Circle Drive circumnavigates Wheeler Peak, the highest mountain in New Mexico, and cuts through the lush Hondo Valley, past the Taos Pueblo, and into old gold mining towns.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 15 Aug. 2025
In the winter of 1999, Swiss explorer Bertrand Piccard and British flight instructor Brian Jones embark on an attempt to complete the last great aviation challenge of the 20th century – to circumnavigate the globe, nonstop in a hot-air balloon.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2025
And joining the Apollo 13 crew after having first served on Apollo 8, which intentionally circumnavigated the moon but did not land on its surface, made Lovell the first human ever to see the moon up close for a second time.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for circumnavigate
Sierra Shafer, Outside, 29 Aug. 2025
Enchanted Circle Drive The Enchanted Circle Drive circumnavigates Wheeler Peak, the highest mountain in New Mexico, and cuts through the lush Hondo Valley, past the Taos Pueblo, and into old gold mining towns.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 15 Aug. 2025
In the winter of 1999, Swiss explorer Bertrand Piccard and British flight instructor Brian Jones embark on an attempt to complete the last great aviation challenge of the 20th century – to circumnavigate the globe, nonstop in a hot-air balloon.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2025
And joining the Apollo 13 crew after having first served on Apollo 8, which intentionally circumnavigated the moon but did not land on its surface, made Lovell the first human ever to see the moon up close for a second time.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for circumnavigate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumnavigate
Verb
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Even light, which zipped at breathtaking pace across the dark, took many human lifetimes to traverse a single galaxy.—
Angus Fletcher,
Big Think,
29 Sep. 2025
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Trails have suffered erosion, so take care while traversing them.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In that window, developers filed 25 builder’s remedy applications (22 of which are still in process)—projects that can bypass local zoning.—
Belal Aftab,
Mercury News,
30 Sep. 2025
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The deep-water port will allow large Chinese cargo and energy ships to bypass the Strait of Malacca, the narrow waterway between Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore through which China conducts two-thirds of its maritime trade and imports 80 percent of its oil.—
Dan Swift,
Foreign Affairs,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Directors are already circling the chronicle of the adventures of Ken Kesey after the release of his first novel, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, which became a Best Picture winning classic film released 50 years ago.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
30 Sep. 2025
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News broke from Deadline at the Zurich Summit on September 27 that Hollywood talent agents have been quietly circling Norwood for representation.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The federal government argued that the lower courts were circumventing the power of the justices and improperly limiting the authority of the Department of Homeland Security.—
Syra Ortiz Blanes,
Miami Herald,
4 Oct. 2025
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Tom Worthington, from the Australian National University’s School of Computing, said circumventing a shutdown that appeared to have been ordered by the country’s Taliban leader would be risky for ordinary Afghans.—
Hilary Whiteman,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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And unlike Earth, SIMP-0136 doesn't orbit its own sun.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
30 Sep. 2025
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In 1921 Japanese meteorologist Sakuhei Fujiwhara theorized that two vortices spinning through fluid (which is exactly what tropical cyclones are) could come close enough to each other to begin orbiting a common central point.—
Andrea Thompson,
Scientific American,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Refrain from entering water that may have electricity in it and avoid walking through floodwaters.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
4 Oct. 2025
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Engelbert said Friday that the league and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association continue to meet and negotiate with the hopes of avoiding a work stoppage.—
Kevin Dotson,
CNN Money,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Russell-Brasstown Scenic Byway is a looped route, one that meanders through the Chattahoochee National Forest and encircles the headwaters of the Chattahoochee River.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Oct. 2025
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Though Israeli forces will continue to encircle Gaza City, this lull in combat operations is intended to allow Hamas members to locate the 48 remaining hostages, the Israeli military said, with fewer than half of those estimated to be still alive.—
Willem Marx,
NPR,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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When his high fly ball crossed into Toronto’s home bullpen, Guerrero earned his first playoff homer.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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The road work downtown also impacts commuters crossing the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge from Jeffersonville, Indiana.—
Leo Bertucci,
Louisville Courier Journal,
5 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Circumnavigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumnavigate. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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