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compass

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verb

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as in to circle
to travel completely around the great age of exploration, when ships of sail compassed the earth

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Synonym Chooser

How does the noun compass differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of compass are gamut, orbit, range, scope, and sweep. While all these words mean "the extent that lies within the powers of something (as to cover or control)," compass implies a sometimes limited extent of perception, knowledge, or activity.

your concerns lie beyond the narrow compass of this study

When is gamut a more appropriate choice than compass?

While the synonyms gamut and compass are close in meaning, gamut suggests a graduated series running from one possible extreme to another.

a performance that ran the gamut of emotions

When is it sensible to use orbit instead of compass?

In some situations, the words orbit and compass are roughly equivalent. However, orbit suggests an often circumscribed range of activity or influence within which forces work toward accommodation.

within that restricted orbit they tried to effect social change

Where would range be a reasonable alternative to compass?

The meanings of range and compass largely overlap; however, range is a general term indicating the extent of one's perception or the extent of powers, capacities, or possibilities.

the entire range of human experience

When could scope be used to replace compass?

The words scope and compass can be used in similar contexts, but scope is applicable to an area of activity, predetermined and limited, but somewhat flexible.

as time went on, the scope of the investigation widened

In what contexts can sweep take the place of compass?

Although the words sweep and compass have much in common, sweep suggests extent, often circular or arc-shaped, of motion or activity.

the book covers the entire sweep of criminal activity

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 compass
Noun
Mere months after Lexi Love’s performance as Gilbert Gottfried earned so-disastrous-its-funny praise and enthusiastic hand-wringing, Ru’s Laugh-o-Meter appears to no longer be the challenge’s compass. Chris Feil, Vulture, 4 July 2025 This clarity becomes your compass for navigating complexity and creating meaningful, lasting impact. Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025
Verb
The wind sighs: Save me, Lord, for the waters have compassed my soul. Tomas Tranströmer, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024 Abigail Jackson The adjacent dining area is dedicated to family heirlooms like a set of Allan Gould compass chairs from Kate’s interior designer grandmother and a red vintage rug from her great-grandparents. Morgan Goldberg, Architectural Digest, 11 Sep. 2024 See All Example Sentences for compass
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compass
Noun
  • They’re then added into the mascarpone mixture one spoonful at a time, while stirring gently in the same direction to achieve a consistent light and airy texture.
    Bryce Jones, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 July 2025
  • There are a huge number of signals from every direction that a player has to process first, even without the risk of being tackled.
    Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 12 July 2025
Noun
  • By expanding their scope to include internal as well as external threats, organizations can build real resilience and ensure a systemic and coordinated approach to both executive and enterprise security.
    Control Risks, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
  • The Trump administration has dramatically curtailed the ability for those facing deportation to be released from immigration detention, its latest effort to expand the scope of its sweeping immigration crackdown, sources briefed on the policy change told CBS News.
    July 15, CBS News, 15 July 2025
Noun
  • Instead of focusing exclusively on perimeter defense models, organizations must understand the types of PII today's bad actors possess—and use that information against them to build strong and sustainable security postures.
    Damon Fleury, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
  • Firefighters continued to battle the fire on all sides, utilizing heavy equipment in some areas to establish a perimeter on the blaze and extinguish hot spots.
    Rey Covarrubias Jr, AZCentral.com, 20 July 2025
Verb
  • The recorded flight path shows the aircraft circled a few times before landing.
    Colson Thayer, People.com, 14 July 2025
  • The plane returned less than an hour after takeoff, circling twice before landing back at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24.
    Nathan Diller, USA Today, 13 July 2025
Verb
  • These tariff rates range between 25% and 50%, with the highest tariff reserved for Brazil, where Trump has objected to the prosecution of the country’s former, right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro for allegedly plotting a coup.
    Cailey Gleeson, jsonline.com, 14 July 2025
  • At the behest of Cook, the group was beginning to plot a show to save the beloved Shepherd’s Bush concert venue Bush Hall.
    Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 12 July 2025
Verb
  • Stephanie, the boys’ mom and Todd Sr.’s wife, is surrounded by baseball.
    Ronald Blum, Baltimore Sun, 15 July 2025
  • The Willis Tower in Chicago surrounding by air pollution in July 2023.
    Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 July 2025
Verb
  • That gap can cause marketing to keep optimizing based on CPC or CPL without knowing which leads actually move forward in the funnel.
    Ron Browning, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
  • Rest assured, no one knew this kind of flood was coming.
    Rebecca Schneid, Time, 7 July 2025
Noun
  • For much of the public, the full extent of the destruction does not yet seem to have sunk in, partly because the military censor has prohibited publishing the location of direct hits.
    Gershom Gorenberg, The Atlantic, 11 July 2025
  • The extent of the driver’s injuries were not immediately clear.
    Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 10 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Compass.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compass. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.

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