CIRCUMNAVIGATING Synonyms: 36 Similar and Opposite Words

circumnavigating

verb

present participle of circumnavigate

as in circling

to travel completely around the first ship to circumnavigate the globe

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

Verb

And the idea of circling the behavior of a group of people in a room.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
In 2001, Michelle remembers hiding under her desk and hearing helicopters circling over her school.

— Taylor Galgano, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of circling

Verb

The latest filings suggest that freeze is thawing — though much money is still bypassing the Democratic National Committee.

— Luke Fountain, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
Mercedes promoted Antonelli directly to the FIA Formula 2 Championship (bypassing Formula 3) with Prema Racing for the 2024 season.

— Tushaar Kuthiala, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of bypassing

Verb

Then getting that energy to major cities means traversing some of the most pristine, spectacular natural corridors this nation has left, and particularly in the Southwest, rubbing up against the sacred lands of local tribal communities.

— Sara Herschander, Vox, 22 Oct. 2026
Oil drops as Hormuz traffic rebounds Oil prices fell as new data showed crude exports from the Middle East surpassed prewar levels, though any respite may be short-lived as attacks on tankers traversing the Strait of Hormuz increased.

— Mary Lawrence Ware, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of traversing

Verb

The lawsuit marks the latest crackdown under the Better Online Ticket Sales Act, also known as the BOTS Act, which bans scalpers from circumventing ticket limits with technology.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2026
Following the Civil War and Reconstruction, prisons were a way of circumventing the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery.

— Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of circumventing

Verb

Musk has said SpaceX’s future success hinges on its Starship rocket, slated to carry astronauts to the moon and launch hundreds of thousands of communications satellites and orbiting data centers to power its AI ambitions.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Humankind's utilization of space is at an inflection point, as companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin and Amazon plan to launch constellations of hundreds of thousands of telecommunication satellites and orbiting data centers in the coming years.

— Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of orbiting

Verb

In these situations, withdrawing into a literal or symbolic dark room—avoiding sources of stress and going to a safe place—can be adaptive in the short term.

— Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Preserve local input while avoiding a patchwork of regulations, ensuring communities are protected and industry provides sufficient justification and incentives.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of avoiding

Verb

Captured by the Solar Wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer, or SMILE, the footage reveals the full ring of auroral activity encircling Earth's north pole in ultraviolet light, stretching across both the night and day sides of our planet.

— Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Dumas watched, charmed, his arms encircling his wife’s shoulders, and accepted an ice-cream sundae in a silver parfait cup.

— Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of encircling

Verb

If Taipei refrains from crossing the ultimate red line of declaring formal independence, Beijing appears confident in its long-term strategy of integration.

— Ningrong Liu, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
On Monday, the 33-year-old endurance swimmer emerged from the water after crossing the latitude of the California-Mexico border and became the first person to swim the length of California.

— Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of crossing

Browse Nearby Words

circumnavigates

circumnavigating

circumscribe

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“Circumnavigating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumnavigating. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of circumnavigating

verb

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