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 Pitt, Kosinski and Bruckheimer circumnavigated the Formula 1 global circuit from Silverstone to Las Vegas, ending in Abu Dhabi for production (hence the film’s reported $300 million budget). Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 2 Apr. 2025 The Chinese flotilla that circumnavigated Australia consisted of a replenishment ship, which supported two warships all the way. Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Mar. 2025 The narrow route, first opened by the U.S. in 1914, allows cargo vessels to travel between the American continents rather than having to circumnavigate them, hugely reducing transit times and costs. Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025 Collectively, the Riders have pedaled enough miles to circumnavigate the globe three times over. Outside Online, 11 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for circumnavigate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumnavigate
Verb
  • Equipped with state-of-the-art mobile storytelling studios, the Video Voyagers tour buses will traverse the U.S., gathering firsthand accounts from local leaders, small business owners, and everyday citizens who define their communities.
    Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 3 May 2025
  • Lacking an apparent story or discernible narrative, your eye/mind/attention/consciousness (yes, all of these things, all at once) were left to track the taut zebra strings traversing the prop-laden set.
    Andrew Lampert, Artforum, 1 May 2025
Verb
  • For students seeking college credit, dual enrolling in classes at a community college or local university might allow students to show their skills while bypassing general education requirements in their first couple years of collegiate study.
    Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
  • The result: persistent RDP access that bypasses cloud verification, multifactor authentication, and Conditional Access policies.
    Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Given the corporate intrigue and multiple regulatory strands circling the case and the merger review, the actual merits of the case often get lost.
    Ted Johnson, Deadline, 30 Apr. 2025
  • The two had circled each other for the first two games of the series but stopped short of full engagement.
    Sean Gentille, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • However, Russia has set up a shadow fleet of vessels to circumvent a $60 price cap on seaborne oil and the export continues to swell the Kremlin's coffers.
    Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
  • Since 2018, China has weathered a low-level trade war, gaining experience in managing the deepening U.S.-Chinese rivalry and learning how to circumvent Washington’s economic restrictions.
    Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 29 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Four of those missions sent broadband satellites to orbit for LEO megaconstellations, and the other one lofted the European Space Agency's Biomass forest-monitoring satellite.
    Mike Wall, Space.com, 29 Apr. 2025
  • Taking a defensive stance supported by company president Frank Borman, a former astronaut who commanded the first NASA mission to orbit the moon, the lawyers for Eastern and its insurance carriers tried to pin the blame on both the FAA and the four air-traffic controllers.
    Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 27 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Until the masses adopt it, fraudsters can simply avoid platforms that require World ID and continue doing business as usual.
    Jennifer Jolly, USA Today, 2 May 2025
  • Maria desperately wanted her children to avoid the same path.
    Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
Verb
  • But there are also many places in the United States where cherry blossoms usher in the start of spring, including Washington, D.C., which hosts an annual National Cherry Blossom Festival to celebrate the bloom of the nearly 4,000 trees planted in Potomac Park encircling the Tidal Basin.
    Brittany Anas, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
  • On March 20, Reuters reported, citing three U.S. and European officials with knowledge of the matter, that claims by President Donald Trump that Ukrainian troops were encircled in Kursk were incorrect.
    Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 25 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Controlling a fire means ensuring that the fire can't spread or cross the containment line.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 11 May 2025
  • But his summary of the key moment is a nice analysis of the risk-and-reward of shooting for the near post, rather than crossing.
    Michael Cox, New York Times, 11 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Circumnavigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumnavigate. Accessed 14 May. 2025.

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