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

Relevance

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

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

Synonyms & Similar Words
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
  • Denise has written a novel in secret, about a frustrated housewife itching to leave her husband and kids for a rich, fulfilling life in New York.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 Aug. 2026
  • What excites me the most is being able to jump in and out of genres — that’s been the fulfilling part of my career.
    — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of fulfilling
Verb
  • Thanksgiving always has produced an interesting dynamic with five tall, energetic kids circling for a turkey leg.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • These are two companies that have been circling each other seemingly somewhat in competition.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of circling
Verb
  • According to charging documents, the teens were allegedly plotting to rob Wright and displayed guns during a video call.
    — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Which, again, is perfectly fine for parallel parking but not particularly helpful in trail course plotting.
    — Andrew P. Collins, The Drive, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of plotting
Verb
  • Excitement surrounding the new season is slowly growing among the West Ham United fanbase, but there are lingering issues that remain hard to ignore.
    — Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Israeli warplanes also targeted a teacher’s training college and a religious building in Nabatieh al-Fawqa, around 10 miles east of Ansar, with further strikes reported in the surrounding area.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of surrounding
Verb
  • Reading is a huge part of my job — understanding a character, deep diving into the soul of another person.
    — Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The science of the product becomes inseparable from the science of understanding the customer.
    — Andy Nguyen, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of understanding
Verb
  • Based on what SanDisk told investors yesterday, these agreements are accomplishing just that.
    — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Murray is scheduled to be a free agent after this season, so winning this starting job is a significant step toward accomplishing that goal.
    — Armando Salguero, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of accomplishing
Verb
  • Paul Anthony Kelly looks comfortable traversing both fantasies.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Amidst all those endlessly traversing ships and bobbing cranes, commerce flourished.
    — Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of traversing
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
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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Compassing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compassing. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of balmy

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All