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

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

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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 But for a guy who lives on a private island, kitesurfs with Barack Obama, and unearths new properties primarily by circumnavigating the planet via hot-air balloon, Sir Richard is surprisingly egalitarian. Heidi Mitchell, Robb Report, 28 Feb. 2025 There is no road that circumnavigates the perimeter, at least not easily navigable by car, so being on one side of the island tends to root you there. Lauren Mowery, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025 Our goal was to circumnavigate Oregon’s second-tallest and least-explored volcano. The Editors, Outside Online, 22 Feb. 2025 The half-mile trail that circumnavigates the small island leads to its beaches. Graham Averill, Outside Online, 21 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for circumnavigate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumnavigate
Verb
  • About 4% of the world’s maritime trade and more than 40% of US container traffic traverses the canal.
    Juliana Liu, CNN, 14 Mar. 2025
  • From early February through mid-March, models traversed New York, London, Milan, and Paris.
    Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 13 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses had shot down 126 Ukrainian drones overnight, without saying how many drones bypassed its defenses.
    Nic Robertson, CNN, 15 Mar. 2025
  • Rubio and other administration officials largely bypassed formal policy procedures to implement Trump’s executive order.
    Samantha Riedel, Them, 14 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Jonah Hill is circling to headline, write and direct Cut Off for Warner Bros.
    Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2025
  • Dolphins circled the capsule as divers readied it for hoisting onto the recovery ship.
    Marcia Dunn, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Trying to circumvent that process by removing or intimidating a judge – with violence or with impeachment – could endanger both judges and their families, and American democracy, experts and legal scholars say.
    Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Mar. 2025
  • But Consumer Reports was able to easily circumvent that restriction by simply playing an audio recording from a computer.
    Kevin Collier, NBC News, 10 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Psyche is a nickel-iron core asteroid that orbits the sun beyond Mars anywhere from 235 million to 309 million miles away.
    Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2025
  • The International Astronomical Union officially recognized 128 new moons orbiting Saturn, bringing the new total up to 274 moons.
    Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 12 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Also, avoiding the snooze button, which harms your sleep.
    Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 14 Mar. 2025
  • While the administration appears to be wanting to avoid past legal mistakes in its previous versions during Trump’s first mandate, court challenges are still expected.
    Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 14 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • It is encircled by textile screens, which show snippets from the textile-making process and the work-in-progress of the exhibition itself.
    Denni Hu, WWD, 19 Mar. 2025
  • Tubular structures framed the models’ faces and encircled their hips, creating the illusion of exaggerated proportions, while pleats unfolded like corollas.
    Alice Pfeiffer, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Visitors can also enjoy the scenery from overlooks at the Interpretive Center and the Wallenda Towers, which are platforms that were used by famed tightrope walker Karl Wallenda to cross the gorge in 1970.
    Casey Barber, Southern Living, 12 Mar. 2025
  • That's because the North American supply chain is highly integrated, and auto parts may cross the U.S. border several times.
    Camila Domonoske, NPR, 12 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Circumnavigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumnavigate. Accessed 26 Mar. 2025.

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