1
as in accomplishing
to carry through (as a process) to completion
attempting more than his modest abilities could compass
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in circling
to travel completely around
the great age of exploration, when ships of sail compassed the earth
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in plotting
to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends
the rebels are compassing the assassination of the king
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in surrounding
to form a circle around
a mysterious isle, compassed by treacherous seas
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in understanding
to have a clear idea of
the concept that the earth is billions of years old is one that the average mind struggles to compass
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compassing
Verb
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The Music City Loop combines multiple complicated aspirations dreamed up by Musk, and few of them have succeeded at accomplishing the feat they were created for.—
Charles Singh,
Nashville Tennessean,
5 Sep. 2025 -
Rather than starting with rules and logic, a perceptron learned a rule for accomplishing some task from data.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Less than 12 seconds later, the vehicle was off the runway, but the plane had already started circling the airport.—
Aaron Cooper,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
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Sewell's been absolute granite at tackle, and now he's got Micah circling the matchups on his calendar.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Still, no reason to do this to Kyle, who is just only recovering from his self-destructive spiral and who has no idea that his friend is plotting to steal his girl again.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
9 Sep. 2025
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Its director, and franchise mastermind, Rian Johnson has proven himself a master of the whodunnit form with these films, showing a knack for Agatha Christie puzzle-plotting that, well, the actual adapters of Christie haven’t shown in recent years.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Despite questions surrounding his confirmation, Hegseth secured support in January from all but three Republicans to become Defense secretary with a 51-50 vote as Vice President JD Vance broke the tie.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
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Assembled over three years, Bolaño’s rubric was simple, surrounding herself with pieces that inspired creativity.—
Keith Flanagan,
Architectural Digest,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In July, a judge said Decarlos Brown might not be mentally capable of understanding previous charges against him.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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With a background in psychology, intercultural studies, and past work for a professional study abroad agency, Stephens is an endless resource for understanding the cultural variations that come with immigrating to new places globally.—
Essence,
Essence,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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If the initial project is successful, another 150,000 cubic yards can be scooped out, fulfilling a chunk of OCTA’s obligations for sand nourishment.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
5 Sep. 2025
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This is the second ALS clinic operated by UAMS, complementing the original Little Rock location and fulfilling a growing need for access to specialty neurological care in the state's rapidly expanding northwest region.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That same sense of gravity is felt by golfers traversing the dynamic dunes.—
Tim Corlett,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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Sure, there were attacks and counterattacks and waves of soldiers traversing across No Man’s Land.—
Michael Jerome Plunkett
September 5,
Literary Hub,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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No other spacecraft has probed beneath the clouds encircling Jupiter the way that Juno has, or has imaged our Solar System’s largest planet so comprehensively and over such extended periods of time.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
3 Sep. 2025
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Nonetheless, its economy has largely adapted to Western sanctions, and Russian forces are advancing in the Donbas, now encircling the city of Pokrovsk and steadily advancing toward Kostyantynivka.—
Joshua Yaffa,
New Yorker,
22 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Compassing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compassing. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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