navigation

noun

nav·​i·​ga·​tion ˌna-və-ˈgā-shən 

1

: the act or practice of navigating

2

: the science of getting vehicles from place to place

especially : the method of determining position, course, and distance traveled

3

: ship traffic or commerce

navigational

ˌna-və-ˈgā-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

navigationally adverb

Examples of navigation in a Sentence

If you're going to be a good sailor you need to master navigation.

I don't mind driving if you're willing to do the navigation.

Our new car has an onboard navigation system.

Navigation becomes more difficult further upriver.

There are back and forward buttons for easier browser navigation.

Recent Examples on the Web

The foreign ministers of Oman and Iran also held a phone call to discuss navigation in the strait, according to a readout from Oman on Friday. — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026

It is typically armed with a 110-pound high explosive/fragmentation/incendiary warhead and guided by jam-resistant satellite navigation. — David Hambling, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

This was true before the advent of AI; simply search for videos of people who blindly followed their navigation systems and drove their cars into lakes. — Emelia S. Probasco, Foreign Affairs, 20 Aug. 2026

The Ukrainians needed Musk to allow the use of Starlink, his satellite-communications network, as a navigation tool for drones to hit targets inside Russia, including Russian ballistic-missile launchers, with precision. — Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing navigation

• celestial navigation
• inertial navigation

Rhymes for navigation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

navigation

noun

nav·​i·​ga·​tion ˌnav-ə-ˈgā-shən 

1

: the act or practice of navigating

2

: the science of getting ships, aircraft, or spacecraft from place to place

especially : the method of figuring out position, course, and distance traveled

navigational

-shnəl 

-shən-ᵊl

adjective