1
as in to traverse
to travel completely around the first ship to circumnavigate the globe

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in to bypass
to avoid by going around we can circumnavigate the traffic jam if we take the next exit

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 circumnavigate Part of making the students love a text was circumnavigating their first reactions to it. Hazlitt, 11 June 2025 His growing list of endurance achievements includes conquering the more than 3,000 miles across America between Los Angles and New York, circumnavigating Lake Como in Italy, and running the length of the UK from Land’s End to John O’Groats. George Ramsay, CNN Money, 10 June 2025 Earlier this year, Chinese naval vessels circumnavigated Australia and disrupted commercial air traffic with live-fire exercises in the Tasman Sea. Ely Ratner, Foreign Affairs, 27 May 2025 Located beyond Neptune, its extreme orbit circumnavigates the sun once every 25,000 years, taking it beyond our solar system. Mike Snider, USA Today, 25 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for circumnavigate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumnavigate
Verb
  • Zion is popular with adventure travelers for challenging hikes such as The Narrows, where hikers traverse Zion Canyon through its narrowest section, which has 1,000-foot-tall walls.
    Michael Salerno, AZCentral.com, 25 July 2025
  • Workplaces now are traversing through unique communication barriers, expectations, and leadership dynamics, and Cecile Peterkin, a seasoned leadership coach, mentor, and founder of The Leadership Coaching Center, has witnessed these dynamics firsthand.
    Nia Bowers, USA Today, 22 July 2025
Verb
  • However, don’t bypass all the details and abdicate your leadership. 4.
    Anne Sugar, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
  • These include allowing developers to tell their users about cheaper alternatives and bypass Apple's in-app payment system.
    Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 23 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
  • The idea is to circumvent the lengthy process of developers and IP-owners finding one another and thrashing out a deal.
    Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 15 July 2025
  • The nationwide experience with direct democracy and reproductive freedom since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade highlights the impact of the initiative process to check a state’s ability to circumvent the political will of the people.
    Mark Dorosin, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 July 2025
Verb
  • Soviet spacecrafts were orbiting the earth while American rockets were exploding on the launch pad.
    Michael Peregrine, Forbes.com, 22 July 2025
  • And, incredibly, the world orbits its star at a distance of just 8.2 million miles, a fraction of the distance between the sun and Mercury, with a year that lasts just 28 days.
    Robert Lea, Space.com, 18 July 2025
Verb
  • Close the blinds and curtains on sun-facing windows to block the sun's rays and avoid unwanted heat.
    Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 25 July 2025
  • This whole situation could have been a sneaky celebrity vacation, taken clandestinely to avoid the paparazzi.
    Emily Zarevich, JSTOR Daily, 24 July 2025
Verb
  • Coronary Artery Disease Coronary artery disease (CAD) is characterized by the collection of plaque within the coronary arteries, which encircle the heart's surface, supplying it with vital nutrients and oxygen.
    Colleen Doherty, Verywell Health, 20 July 2025
  • The house is composed of nestled boxes, but the dining room and the breakfast nook each have curved walls that encircle large tables.
    Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 17 July 2025
Verb
  • After the rally that began in Cincinnati, around 100 people crossed the Roebling Bridge, heading toward Covington shortly after 8 p.m., according to police.
    Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 23 July 2025
  • Both from New Jersey, the pair first crossed paths in the Caribbean in May 2007.
    Rachel Raposas, People.com, 22 July 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Circumnavigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumnavigate. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on circumnavigate

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!