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

An exclusive excerpt published by Decibel centers on Cave In and the period surrounding the band’s breakthrough Jupiter, when major labels began circling.

— SPIN Staff, SPIN, 18 Sep. 2026
This usually begins with the wasp cautiously circling its target while slowly getting closer.

— Sean Donnelly, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of circling

Verb

Today, the industry’s focus has shifted from bypassing traditional institutions to optimizing them.

— Jeff Mahony, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026
Without careful guardrails in place, children tend to use the platforms as shortcuts to answers, bypassing the messy, difficult cognitive processes that are essential for learning.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of bypassing

Verb

The production’s adventurousness, traversing every corner of Brad Bentz’s scenic design, can have a diffuse effect.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
People were part of Pleistocene history, adapting to the colder climates in the north and traversing the unglaciated regions to the south of the glacial margins.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of traversing

Verb

About 25 years ago, then-NBA commissioner David Stern reduced the five-first-round-pick penalty imposed on the Minnesota Timberwolves for circumventing the salary cap in signing Joe Smith.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 14 Sep. 2026
But with this return being locked in and the principal untouched in a way that stocks and bonds can't offer, an account could be valuable for those savers who want to earn a predictable return while circumventing market instability.

— Matt Richardson, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of circumventing

Verb

Transits favor planets orbiting close to their stars, particularly large planets that block more starlight and complete their orbits frequently.

— Thomas Fauchez, The Conversation, 14 Sep. 2026
The two orbiting observatories collectively discovered 27 new Trans-Neptunian Objects, or TNOs, all less than 25 miles (40 kilometers) across, with the smallest being only 6 miles (10 kilometers) in diameter.

— Keith Cooper, Space.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of orbiting

Verb

Credit cards notoriously have exceptionally high interest rates, so avoiding credit card debt is prudent.

— Jason Stauffer, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026
The developments further strain Saudi Arabia's effort to get its oil to market while avoiding the Strait of Hormuz, the choke point at the mouth of the Persian Gulf where Iranian attacks have stifled shipping.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of avoiding

Verb

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
There are no bleachers, so spectators set up lawn chairs encircling the field.

— Kelenna Onukwugha, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of encircling

Verb

Clinical studies have shown that crossing your legs at the knee can temporarily raise systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings.

— Ayesha Gulzar, Verywell Health, 17 Sep. 2026
The growing menace of drones crossing into Romania’s skies, many of which officials have blamed on Russia, prompted the NATO member to shoot down four drones this year, the first time since the war next door started.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 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 19 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of circumnavigating

verb

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