1
as in circled
to travel completely around
the first ship to circumnavigate the globe
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in bypassed
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 circumnavigated
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
Ko Samui is the third-largest island in the country but remains small enough to be circumnavigated in just a couple of hours by motorbike or car, making neighboring locations easy to access.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 26 Nov. 2025
The 16th-century adventurer, who first circumnavigated the globe by sea in 1522, wavers beneath the pressure of his pursuit, ultimately leading his men to mutiny and madness on the Malay Archipelago.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 18 Nov. 2025
Best Towns to Visit Getaria A small, underrated fishing village, Getaria is the birthplace of Balenciaga and Juan Sebastián Elcano (who circumnavigated the world with Magellan).
—Michelle Arellano Martin, Travel + Leisure, 9 Nov. 2025
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
Ko Samui is the third-largest island in the country but remains small enough to be circumnavigated in just a couple of hours by motorbike or car, making neighboring locations easy to access.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 26 Nov. 2025
The 16th-century adventurer, who first circumnavigated the globe by sea in 1522, wavers beneath the pressure of his pursuit, ultimately leading his men to mutiny and madness on the Malay Archipelago.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 18 Nov. 2025
Best Towns to Visit Getaria A small, underrated fishing village, Getaria is the birthplace of Balenciaga and Juan Sebastián Elcano (who circumnavigated the world with Magellan).
—Michelle Arellano Martin, Travel + Leisure, 9 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumnavigated
Verb
-
Crime scene tape blocked off part of the street at that intersection, and a helicopter circled overhead.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 May 2026
-
Minutes before the raid, LAPD squads slowly circled the park.—
Brittny Mejia,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
The Biden-era legislation was enacted after various American businesses had complaints over being bypassed for service by carriers, or being charged excessive late fees throughout the heavy supply chain bottlenecks throughout 2021 and 2022.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
8 May 2026
-
Trump has bypassed Congress’s constitutional role in the assessment of tariffs, budgeting and declaring war.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Tehran denied that, but Danish shipping and logistics company Maersk subsequently confirmed that one of its ships had traversed the strait with US protection.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
4 May 2026
-
The major difference, of course, is that Jovovich has since traversed into the world of action movies since her days as a model.—
Laura Lane,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
The court ruled that lawmakers had circumvented anti-gerrymandering standards passed by voters when adopting the prior map.—
David A. Lieb,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
But the latest administrative checks, amid intensifying scrutiny, come after Italian media revealed internal emails that were framed as evidence that the Biennale organizers had circumvented sanctions against Russia to facilitate Russia’s participation.—
Devorah Lauter,
ARTnews.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
While Mars is a potential time capsule with evidence of ancient life, other planets like Jupiter and Saturn are orbited by moons that NASA spacecraft are targeting in their hunt for life.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
-
This referred to the fact that the Cyg X-1 jets seemed to be getting deflected in different directions as the star and black hole orbited each other.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Whether the Michael sequel will come to fruition and cover any of this uncharted territory—or flash back to territory that was avoided in the first film, like the entirety of The Wiz—is heretofore unknown.—
Chris Murphy,
Vanity Fair,
12 May 2026
-
Schwarzenegger’s strategy energized Californians who wanted to punish incumbent Democrats, but avoided scaring too many of the state’s median voters.—
Conor Friedersdorf,
The Atlantic,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Starting in 1946, however, the Queen Mother opted to wear a large pearl ring instead, also encircled by diamonds.—
Ilana Frost,
PEOPLE,
9 May 2026
-
Police then encircled the shooter, who used one more bullet on himself.—
The Denver Post Editorial Board,
Denver Post,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
As the final buzzer sounded, James sat stoically at the end of the bench with his arms crossed close to his chest.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
10 May 2026
-
Though three fillies have crossed the finish line first, no female jockey or trainer had won it until DeVaux busted through the barn ceiling, taking down the old-boy network made of flannel, denim, seersucker and cigars.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Circumnavigated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumnavigated. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
