1
as in to traverse
to travel completely around the first ship to circumnavigate the globe

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to bypass
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 circumnavigate The Chinese flotilla that circumnavigated Australia consisted of a replenishment ship, which supported two warships all the way. Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Mar. 2025 The narrow route, first opened by the U.S. in 1914, allows cargo vessels to travel between the American continents rather than having to circumnavigate them, hugely reducing transit times and costs. Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025 Collectively, the Riders have pedaled enough miles to circumnavigate the globe three times over. Outside Online, 11 Mar. 2025 Brisbane, Australia/Hong Kong CNN — Chinese warships have been circumnavigating Australia’s coastline for more than three weeks, passing within 200 miles of Sydney, and staging unprecedented live-fire drills on its doorstep with New Zealand. Hilary Whiteman, CNN, 6 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for circumnavigate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumnavigate
Verb
  • Equipped with state-of-the-art mobile storytelling studios, the Video Voyagers tour buses will traverse the U.S., gathering firsthand accounts from local leaders, small business owners, and everyday citizens who define their communities.
    Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 3 May 2025
  • Lacking an apparent story or discernible narrative, your eye/mind/attention/consciousness (yes, all of these things, all at once) were left to track the taut zebra strings traversing the prop-laden set.
    Andrew Lampert, Artforum, 1 May 2025
Verb
  • For students seeking college credit, dual enrolling in classes at a community college or local university might allow students to show their skills while bypassing general education requirements in their first couple years of collegiate study.
    Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
  • The result: persistent RDP access that bypasses cloud verification, multifactor authentication, and Conditional Access policies.
    Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • His swirling, circling Ophüls-like camera movements and magenta-to-mauve tonal shifts create an atmosphere sensitive to morning-after regret.
    Armond White, National Review, 25 Apr. 2025
  • Several of the words on the back have letters circled in red.
    Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 24 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • However, Russia has set up a shadow fleet of vessels to circumvent a $60 price cap on seaborne oil and the export continues to swell the Kremlin's coffers.
    Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
  • Since 2018, China has weathered a low-level trade war, gaining experience in managing the deepening U.S.-Chinese rivalry and learning how to circumvent Washington’s economic restrictions.
    Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 29 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Four of those missions sent broadband satellites to orbit for LEO megaconstellations, and the other one lofted the European Space Agency's Biomass forest-monitoring satellite.
    Mike Wall, Space.com, 29 Apr. 2025
  • Taking a defensive stance supported by company president Frank Borman, a former astronaut who commanded the first NASA mission to orbit the moon, the lawyers for Eastern and its insurance carriers tried to pin the blame on both the FAA and the four air-traffic controllers.
    Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 27 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Until the masses adopt it, fraudsters can simply avoid platforms that require World ID and continue doing business as usual.
    Jennifer Jolly, USA Today, 2 May 2025
  • The International Space Station (ISS) executed evasive maneuvers Wednesday evening (April 30) to avoid a piece of passing space debris.
    Josh Dinner, Space.com, 1 May 2025
Verb
  • Of all the galaxies in this frame, one pair stands out in particular: a smooth golden galaxy encircled by a nearly complete ring at left.
    Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2025
  • For several hundred dollars, tour companies fly passengers high above the rivers that encircle the city, showcasing a stunning, bird’s-eye view of the Statue of Liberty, One World Trade Center and other landmarks.
    Philip Marcelo, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Add to that a greater reluctance by those in the public and private sectors to cross Trump, wary of putting themselves and their organizations in the crosshairs of his administration.
    Mark K. Updegrove, Time, 29 Apr. 2025
  • There's a callback to that scene late in the film when the knights must answer three questions to cross the Bridge of Death or else be chucked into the Gorge of Eternal Peril.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 29 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Circumnavigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumnavigate. Accessed 5 May. 2025.

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