Meaning & use
circumnavigate
To travel all the way around something, especially the entire earth or an island, by sea or air.
See it in a sentence
Magellan's crew was the first to circumnavigate the globe, though he himself died along the way.
The sailors planned to circumnavigate the small island before returning to port.
A note on using this word
"Circumnavigate" can also be used figuratively to mean finding a way around an obstacle or rule.
Words with a similar meaning
encircle
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
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