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 More than 1,000 employees circumnavigate the bustling fifth floor Tempus office around an atrium that Lefkofsky said was a spiral parking ramp before the building — a National Historic Landmark that once housed the country’s oldest mail-order firm — was converted to tech space 25 years ago. Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 3 Sep. 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for circumnavigate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumnavigate
Verb
  • Lake-effect snow is anticipated as cold air traverses the relatively warm waters of the Great Lakes, with several inches of accumulation and hazardous travel possible, especially near Lakes Erie and Ontario.
    Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
  • In the wild, macaques can traverse miles of novel terrain each week and socialize through grooming, but in many laboratories they are isolated in barren cages no bigger than a washing machine.
    Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The provision would close a loophole from the 2018 farm bill that has allowed unregulated THC products to be sold nationwide, bypassing state cannabis laws.
    Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
  • And Song felt steadfast support from A24, who gave the film a commercial summer release — unlike Past Lives, Materialists bypassed festivals — and didn’t intervene with her vision.
    David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 10 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • As seen in a now-viral clip circling social media, a woman was spotted in the stands at Lambeau Field holding a sign created in full support of the retired NFL star.
    Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 11 Nov. 2025
  • This was a Lakers team ripe for the taking in one major way — LeBron James was out due to injury, much to the disappointment of the Lakers fans dressed in purple and gold who circled this game on the calendar months ago and comprised at least half the crowd.
    Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 11 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • This same method is being used to circumvent current sanctions, said sources in Myanmar who spoke to the Herald on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation from the junta.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
  • The book explained how to calculate interest rates, circumvent the Church’s usury laws, apportion profits, and assess revenues and costs.
    Big Think, Big Think, 5 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Astronomers can only glimpse them edge-on, and most past spacecraft have orbited close to the sun's equatorial plane, leaving its poles largely unexplored.
    Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Imagine, for a moment, being back in 1968, watching three NASA astronauts on their way home to Earth after orbiting the moon for Apollo 8.
    Lee Billings, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Take extra caution when on the road or avoid driving if possible.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 8 Nov. 2025
  • Flyers should try to mitigate any headaches from delays and cancellations by avoiding booking flights with layovers, the non-profit US Public Interest Research Group says, and opt to make reservations directly with the airline rather than a third-party website.
    Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • However, that changed once Russia began encircling Pokrovsk over the summer.
    Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2025
  • Russia has for many months been attempting to encircle Pokrovsk and neighboring Myrnohrad from the north and south.
    David Brennan, ABC News, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • No one, not even animals, were allowed to cross on foot.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Controlling a fire means ensuring that the fire can't spread or cross the containment line.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 9 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Circumnavigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumnavigate. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.

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