1
as in circling
to travel completely around
the first ship to circumnavigate the globe
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in bypassing
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 circumnavigating
The countdown clock is officially rolling at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where four astronauts are preparing to take off on the mission of a lifetime — circumnavigating the moon and returning humans to deep space for the first time in five decades as part of Artemis II.
—
Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
Superpressure balloons can last for months and travel long distances, potentially circumnavigating the globe, all the while reporting their position.
—IEEE Spectrum, 31 Jan. 2026
Two hundred seventy-two miles of scenery are signposted by pretty blue and orange ribbons circumnavigating the island, representing the ocean and those ubiquitous mandarins.
—Gary Shteyngart, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Nov. 2023
Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
Superpressure balloons can last for months and travel long distances, potentially circumnavigating the globe, all the while reporting their position.
—IEEE Spectrum, 31 Jan. 2026
Two hundred seventy-two miles of scenery are signposted by pretty blue and orange ribbons circumnavigating the island, representing the ocean and those ubiquitous mandarins.
—Gary Shteyngart, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Nov. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumnavigating
Verb
-
The 10-day mission involves circling the moon in a flyby manner (and not landing on the surface) and, in doing so, establishing the record for the farthest that humans have ever ventured into space.—
Michael Peregrine,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Financial regulators are already circling.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Musk’s tenure was criticized by labor unions, government employees and Democrats for bypassing laws and regulations.—
David Ingram,
NBC news,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The war has forced organizations to find new ways to transport goods, with some bypassing the Strait of Hormuz and the Suez Canal and rerouting vessels around Africa, adding weeks to the delivery.—
SAM MEDNICK,
Arkansas Online,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
After 5½ hours on backcountry skis, traversing the Sierra Nevada’s rapidly melting snowpack beneath a scorching spring sun, the guide at the front of our group stopped and went silent.—
Jack Dolan,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The Nile is Africa’s longest river, it and its principal tributaries traversing parts of 10 countries and several different physiographic regions.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Trump has remained open in his positioning toward Moscow, even declining on Sunday to blast it for circumventing his oil blockade on Cuba.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The Houthi attack comes just as Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline is now pumping oil at its full capacity of 7 million barrels a day, sending crude to the Red Sea port of Yanbu and circumventing the Strait of Hormuz.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The three cosmonauts currently living on the orbiting lab — Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev and Andrey Fedyaev — did not participate.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Among these was Skylab, America's first orbiting space station, which launched on May 14, 1973.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Whatever his flaws, the president has been politically astute throughout his tenure, carefully avoiding the trap of letting the perfect be the enemy of good.—
Kelly Sloan,
The Orlando Sentinel,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Be wary of phishing by avoiding links in unsolicited emails or texts.—
Larry Magid,
Mercury News,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Our beautiful encircling topography of mountains and hills is a bowl ready-made by ancient plate tectonics to be filled with smoke and smog.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The rooms Spread over a handful of buildings encircling the central courtyard, Aleenta Retreat's 44 rooms range from spacious deluxe rooms with lounge-y balconies to two-story residences with two bedrooms and a small private courtyard with a plunge pool.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
This time, the neutrinos seemed to be changing fast enough to oscillate while crossing a room.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Later, grandmother and granddaughter drive down a road of African palm trees, passing a lorry load of immigrants, monotonous electricity grid lines crossing the sky and workers fumigating trees, Villalobos accumulating details of a harsh contemporary world.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Circumnavigating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumnavigating. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
