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

The Wonsleys and Wells’ coach went out to Horn Island early that morning, circling the island by boat and walking on shore trying to find the teenager.

— Lorena O’Neil, Rolling Stone, 30 July 2026
And apparently, some of the locals are already circling the competition venues.

— Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2026

Definition of circling

Verb

East-West pipeline to the Red Sea, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, to maintain exports at a maximum capacity of 7 million barrels per day.

— Sam Meredith, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2026
Another is Judge Sweeney bypassing a temporary restraining order (TRO) to issue a more lasting preliminary injunction (PI).

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of bypassing

Verb

His adventures traversing a broken land of haunted people and animals may be less the stuff of future myth and more about trauma, but Yoon brilliantly creates voices for human and canine that make both more whole.

— Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026
The Leadville 100 Trail Run is an extremely challenging, high-alpine endurance race renowned for not only traversing 100 miles but also scaling a collective 14,000 vertical feet.

— Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 31 July 2026

Definition of traversing

Verb

Hegseth has already challenged that premise in ways both meaningful and petty, by circumventing the normal promotion process to push out officers far below him or to stall their advancements, and by firing senior officers set for even higher rank.

— Missy Ryan, The Atlantic, 22 July 2026
More than a dozen states with sports betting bans on the books have sued Kalshi and Polymarket for allegedly circumventing state laws by running unlicensed, unregulated gambling platforms.

— Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 20 July 2026

Definition of circumventing

Verb

So the 8,800-pound (4,000 kilograms) rocket body remained up there, orbiting Earth — until solar activity and gravitational forces pushed it on a collision course for the moon.

— Mike Wall, Space.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Others are colder than the empty vacuum of space, while a few wander the galaxy without orbiting a single star.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of orbiting

Verb

The state health department says that avoiding tick bites is the best way to avoid tularemia.

— Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
An armed off-duty Idaho state trooper and a private citizen confronted the shooter, likely driving him from the scene and avoiding further casualties, according to Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of avoiding

Verb

Champions Nigeria enter with 10 stars encircling the crest on their jerseys, having won 10 of the previous 13 WAFCONs, and looking to add an 11th.

— Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 26 July 2026
The stone is halo-set on a pavé band—jewelry lingo for having a ring of small white diamonds encircling the stone and covering the band.

— Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 21 July 2026

Definition of encircling

Verb

The proposal stated that military or civilian cargo linked to Israeli vessels and other entities deemed to have damaged Iran would be banned from crossing until paying compensation.

— Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
The path of totality — in which the moon completely covers the sun — begins over the Arctic Ocean, before crossing eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain.

— Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 6 Aug. 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 8 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of circumnavigating

verb

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