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
  • The film itself was an odyssey of a shoot, as the cast traversed multiple countries and territories—Scotland, Italy, the Western Sahara, Greece—in all types of weather.
    — Wisdom Iheanyichukwu, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Currently, only a handful of ships traverse the seaway each day.
    — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of traverse
Verb
  • The third Cabinet office, Attorney General, bypassed the primary.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Kuwait is holding discussions with Saudi Arabia and other countries about a possible pipeline to bypass the Strait, Kuwaiti Oil Minister Tariq Sulaiman Al-Roumi said earlier this month.
    — Max Zahn, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of bypass
Verb
  • Due to a combination of circling real estate developers and personal financial crises, the Pogues’ homes are under threat.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Plus, the brand highlights that the bags allow roots to grow toward the earth rather than circle the plant, which promotes better health than regular plastic planters.
    — Carly Totten, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of circle
Verb
  • The United Arab Emirates, meanwhile, has begun construction on a new pipeline that will run from the country’s oil fields to the port of Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman, circumventing the strait, the UAE announced in May.
    — Max Zahn, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Legal experts assert the President cannot unilaterally redefine constitutional rights or circumvent Supreme Court decisions, urging him to accept the ruling and pursue lawful legislative or amendment processes instead of executive improvisation.
    — Andy J. Semotiuk, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of circumvent
Verb
  • Its dimensions measure 10 by 14 by 11 miles (17 by 22 by 18 kilometers) across and orbits Mars three times each Martian day at a distance of about 3,700 miles (6,000 km).
    — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The fainter star is responsible for ejecting material, while its brighter companion helps shape the resulting nebula as the pair orbit each other.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of orbit
Verb
  • But Beijing has also sought to avoid domestic fuel shortages by limiting its own fuel exports.
    — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Seven-nine percent said to avoid a ticket, 72 percent said to avoid a crash, and 60 percent said because of bad weather, according to the research.
    — Doug Myers, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of avoid
Verb
  • The zoning resolution for the Manhattanville extension explicitly forbids encircling any of the outdoor spaces with gates or fences.
    — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Instead, the Integrated Field Spectroscopy unit on the JWST's Near Infrared Spectrometer (NIRSpec) measured the motion of hydrogen gas swirling around at high velocity in the accretion disks encircling each black hole.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of encircle
Verb
  • An average of about 13 ships crossed the Strait each day last week, the firm said in a post on X, down from more than 100 ships per day before the recent conflict.
    — Max Zahn, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • All eyes now turn towards negotiations between Iran and Oman expected to resolve how ships cross Hormuz.
    — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of cross

Browse Nearby Words

circumlocutory
circumnavigate
circumnavigated
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Cite this Entry

“Circumnavigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumnavigate. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on circumnavigate

Nglish: Translation of circumnavigate for Spanish Speakers

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