Meaning & use

circumnavigation

noun·Advanced

The act of traveling all the way around something, especially sailing or flying around the entire Earth.

See it in a sentence

Magellan's expedition completed the first circumnavigation of the globe in the sixteenth century.

The solo sailor's circumnavigation took nearly a year to complete.

A note on using this word

Circumnavigation is most often used specifically about sailing or flying around the world, rather than any general trip around a smaller object.

Words with a similar meaning

circling

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

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