compassing

verb

present participle of compass
1
as in fulfilling
to carry through (as a process) to completion attempting more than his modest abilities could compass

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in circling
to travel completely around the great age of exploration, when ships of sail compassed the earth

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in plotting
to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends the rebels are compassing the assassination of the king

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4
as in surrounding
to form a circle around a mysterious isle, compassed by treacherous seas

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5
as in understanding
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for compassing
  1. fulfilling
  2. circling
  3. plotting
  4. surrounding
  5. understanding
  6. accomplishing
  7. traversing
  8. encircling
Verb
  • What fewer people appreciate is that friendship does, too, and the return on that investment may be just as consequential for a fulfilling retirement.
    — Wes Moss, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
  • Whatever the mission type, the winning team is determined by total score, which includes both fulfilling the mission objective and shooting down enemies.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 9 July 2026
Definition of fulfilling
Verb
  • Apollo Global Management is reportedly circling a roughly $3 billion investment tied to the Steinbrenner family’s holding company, which controls the Yankees along with minority stakes in AC Milan, New York City FC, and Legends Hospitality.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 17 July 2026
  • Earlier this morning in New York’s always-buzzing Meatpacking District, a long queue of young, cool folks could be seen lining up along 14th street—circling the block from 10th avenue all the way to 9th.
    — Christian Allaire, Vogue, 16 July 2026
Definition of circling
Verb
  • AutoCaptain uses six stereo cameras and NVIDIA processing for 360-degree environmental understanding, plotting paths and avoiding obstacles via computer vision and machine learning.
    — Ed Garsten, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • When this happens, Telemachus realizes that the beggar is really his father, and the father-son duo reunite in full and begin plotting revenge against the suitors.
    — Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026
Definition of plotting
Verb
  • Even the amount of surrounding pavement, neighboring structures, and roof color can influence how much heat the house gains throughout the day.
    — Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 17 July 2026
  • According to Artem, the Russian position consisted of soldiers armed with small arms and radios and supported by a network of observation posts monitoring the surrounding approaches.
    — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of surrounding
Verb
  • Grief literacy is understanding the foundations and the fundamentals of loss and grief.
    — Mikaela Cohen, Fortune, 14 July 2026
  • What’s most important is understanding that options exist—and that care can be tailored.
    — Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 14 July 2026
Definition of understanding
Verb
  • Make Donors The Story’s Heroes Years ago, a development professional taught me to center donor communications around what the donor is accomplishing.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • The primary question is whether this crowded field of new entrants is actually accomplishing anything, or whether its members are simply tripping over one another with deleterious impact.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 28 June 2026
Definition of accomplishing
Verb
  • There was no zigzagging across the continent, traversing borders or altitude concerns.
    — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 16 July 2026
  • Mulching can also create barriers that ivy will have difficulty traversing.
    — Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 15 July 2026
Definition of traversing
Verb
  • Cheers roared from the crowd encircling the concrete arena as two skateboarders slammed into each other at top speed.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 25 June 2026
  • Styled by Brad Goreski, Moore wore a custom cobalt blue Self Portrait gown with an oversized bow encircling the hips, falling into a train.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 22 May 2026
Definition of encircling
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.

Browse Nearby Words

compasses
compassing
compassion
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Cite this Entry

“Compassing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compassing. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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