1
as in direction
a guiding or motivating purpose or principle
a young go-getter who lost his moral compass in the course of his quest for fame and fortune
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in scope
an area over which activity, capacity, or influence extends
within the compass of my voice
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in perimeter
the line or relatively narrow space that marks the outer limit of something
within the compass of the city walls
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to accomplish
to carry through (as a process) to completion
attempting more than his modest abilities could compass
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to circle
to travel completely around
the great age of exploration, when ships of sail compassed the earth
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to plot
to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends
the rebels are compassing the assassination of the king
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to surround
to form a circle around
a mysterious isle, compassed by treacherous seas
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in to know
to have a clear idea of
the concept that the earth is billions of years old is one that the average mind struggles to compass
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of compass
Prof. Dr. Med. Mazda Farshad, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Each garment comes with a dedicated black badge with a blue compass logo, as well as nickel shank badge buttons.
—Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2025
Tomas Tranströmer, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
At its best, McCarthy’s fiction could compass the strange and often violent order of existence.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 13 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for compass
Noun
This vision became our compass for all strategy, from research investments to recruitment.
—Prof. Dr. Med. Mazda Farshad, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Each garment comes with a dedicated black badge with a blue compass logo, as well as nickel shank badge buttons.
—Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
The wind sighs: Save me, Lord, for the waters have compassed my soul.
—Tomas Tranströmer, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
At its best, McCarthy’s fiction could compass the strange and often violent order of existence.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 13 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for compass
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compass
Noun
-
When the lines of a CME’s magnetic field and those of the Earth’s magnetic field are pointed in the opposite directions, the CME can unite with the Earth’s magnetosphere and fill it with vast quantities of solar energy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The contract was awarded at a time when the world was racing to field missiles that could change direction while traveling at several times the speed of sound.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
As its name suggests, a macroscope is an instrument for making large-scale entities (macro-) visible to the eye (scope).—
Big Think,
Big Think,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Scant details While the diplomatic momentum appeared strong, few details were released about the scope of the new trade frameworks.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Des Cars admitted that security around the Louvre's perimeter was an issue and that the only camera monitoring the outside of the museum was facing away from the balcony that led to the gallery where the precious jewels were kept, according to reports.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Five different Santa Margarita players combined to scored eight goals from perimeter against senior Jonas Ransford, one of Orange County’s best goalies and a CIF-SS Open Division champion.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This sort of commercial imagery has accomplished something truly new, something the CORONA engineers could only have dreamed about.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The logistical feat those intrepid women accomplished staggers the mind of any contemporary author.—
Adrian Miller,
Southern Living,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Just before the robbery, the Jeep, which didn’t have a license plate, had circled the bank.—
Nathan Pilling,
Kansas City Star,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Skinner also gave his TikTok followers a full 360° view of their Zootopia costumes with a video of them dancing in Times Square as a camera circled them.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
On Monday, Tchiroma accused the government of plotting to arrest him and posted images on social media of snipers near his residence - claims that could not be independently verified.—
NPR,
NPR,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Identify fundamentally sound equities or ETFs with steady uptrends and plot their 50-day EMA.—
Michael Khouw,
CNBC,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The result is a geomagnetic storm that amplifies the ionospheric and radio disruptions caused by flares and saturates the radiation belts surrounding Earth to such an extent that new belts can suddenly form.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Air raid alerts were in place in Kyiv and surrounding districts for around an hour and a half before the air force called them off shortly after midnight on Sunday.—
Laura Sharman,
CNN Money,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The charitable organization funded by the Johnson & Johnson heiress is known for gifts to education, health and civic projects.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Also known as irritable hip, the condition is due to inflammation of the hip joint lining.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Compass.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compass. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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