circumnavigating

verb

present participle of circumnavigate
1
as in circling
to travel completely around the first ship to circumnavigate the globe

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumnavigating
  1. circling
  2. bypassing
  3. traversing
  4. circumventing
  5. orbiting
  6. avoiding
  7. encircling
  8. crossing
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
  • The film premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section to rave reviews and a lengthy standing ovation before buyers quickly started circling and A24 emerged with the worldwide rights.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of circling
Verb
  • In 2020, Epic activated its own payment option inside Fortnite, bypassing Apple's payment system and its 30% commission.
    — Jeffrey Kopp, CNBC, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Regional tensions flare as Israel carries out drone and airstrikes in Syria and Gaza, while France and Saudi Arabia explore alternate energy routes bypassing Hormuz to blunt the risk of further disruption.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of bypassing
Verb
  • These memorable rail journeys - one in Canada, two in the United States - offer up incredible panroamas, city stops, mountains and forests, traversing long distances across the continent.
    — Everett Potter, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Paul Anthony Kelly looks comfortable traversing both fantasies.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of traversing
Verb
  • Iran has been subject to Western sanctions for years and has become deft at partially circumventing them.
    — Khaled Wassef, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of circumventing
Verb
  • The lunar eclipse also may be visible to Hathaway and the nine other people living off the planet — seven astronauts at the International Space Station and three aboard China’s orbiting outpost.
    — Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The lunar eclipse may also be visible to Hathaway and the nine other people living off the planet — seven astronauts at the International Space Station and three aboard China’s orbiting outpost.
    — Marcia Dunn, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of orbiting
Verb
  • Without more straightforward approaches from vendors, such as easily comprehensible privacy policies and avoiding inappropriate ads, monitors are dangerously encroaching into smart-TV-like territory.
    — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The key, according to both experts, is avoiding too much width around the face.
    — Laura Solla, Vogue, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of avoiding
Verb
  • Its signature Hémisphère features fine grooves encircling each plate like rings around a planet.
    — Angela Tafoya, Architectural Digest, 21 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of encircling
Verb
  • It's been 17 years since Byers surveyed glacial lakes in the Himalayas and ran into a television crew just after crossing an 18,000-foot pass.
    — Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
  • From Hermon Park, head south, crossing Via Marisol from the crosswalk.
    — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of crossing

Browse Nearby Words

circumnavigates
circumnavigating
circumscribe
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Cite this Entry

“Circumnavigating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumnavigating. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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