navigating

verb

present participle of navigate
1
as in steering
to operate or control the course of the hours of training that are required before a student pilot is allowed to navigate an airplane solo

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in sailing
to travel on water in a vessel the months that were once required to navigate around South America in the days before the Panama Canal

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in traversing
to make one's way through, across, or over it will take some effort to navigate that stretch of hills, but we can do it

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 navigating Historical anecdotes are everywhere and combined with recent experience navigating that system gave me a window. — Scott Levenson, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026 For Mohsen, that means making a case for what the festival can offer filmmakers navigating an increasingly crowded international circuit. — Essie Assibu, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026 Aerial footage shows multiple airboats navigating shallow, grassy floodwaters, with the water low enough for people to walk through. — Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026 While technical skills can be developed through training, engineers also need experience navigating real-world customer challenges. — Barbara Booth, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026 The atmospheric drama followed a closeted physical ed teacher in Newcastle, navigating the introduction of Margaret Thatcher’s Section 28 anti-gay law. — Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2026 Rice is an experienced corporate executive who spent nearly three decades navigating Rupert Murdoch‘s media empire, serving as president of 21st Century Fox and CEO of Fox Networks Group. — Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026 His predecessor, Tim Cook, gained stature on the world stage as a power broker deftly navigating global politics, markets, and supply chains. — Andrew R. Chow, Time, 15 Oct. 2026 Many are navigating divorce, illness, breakups, or a reconsideration of their religious beliefs. — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for navigating
  1. steering
  2. sailing
  3. traversing
  4. piloting
  5. cruising
  6. crossing
  7. following
  8. walking
Verb
  • That also means steering away from even the slight, surface-level ideas that movie raised about AI.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Harrington cofounded Elemis in 1990 and led it from launch through the end of 2025, taking the business global and steering it through multiple transactions — including a $900 million sale from private equity to a strategic holding company in 2019.
    — Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of steering
Verb
  • The unfortunate crew of the doomed vessel were likely sailing to the west when disaster struck, the researchers wrote in a study about the wreck that was published earlier this year.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The fourth ship was identified as the Al Saadiyat, sailing under the Marshall Islands flag.
    — Mark Osborne, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of sailing
Verb
  • Oil drops as Hormuz traffic rebounds Oil prices fell as new data showed crude exports from the Middle East surpassed prewar levels, though any respite may be short-lived as attacks on tankers traversing the Strait of Hormuz increased.
    — Mary Lawrence Ware, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad operates between Durango and Silverton, traversing the San Juan National Forest and running along the Animas River.
    — Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of traversing
Verb
  • Avalo is piloting a demand aggregation campaign with World Collective, a supplier-first sourcing platform for fashion, wherein brands of every size will be able to pool together to have access to low-footprint cotton while supplies last.
    — Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Edge faces three counts of first-degree murder, among other charges, after he was accused of piloting a motorboat up to a waterfront bar in Southport in September 2025 and opening fire on patrons.
    — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of piloting
Verb
  • If Mick hadn’t come cruising into that playground, lights off?
    — George Saunders, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The Arlington Heights Yellowjackets continued their dominant season Friday, cruising to a dominant 71-0 victory over the North Side Steers and extending their unbeaten record.
    — Aliza Acuna, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of cruising
Verb
  • Pedestrians crossing the George Washington Bridge once again have a path of their own.
    — Nick Caloway, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Both crossing arms were lowered and warning lights were activated at the Bond Road rail crossing when the man walked onto the tracks and was struck by the train, the Elk Grove Police Department said in a post to social media.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of crossing
Verb
  • The opening brings Polène closer to its West Coast customer base as the company continues to expand internationally, following recent openings across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific.
    — Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Jayendu Krishna, a director at Drewry Maritime Advisors, said none of the major container shipping lines had resumed services through Hormuz since suspending operations following the outbreak of the war in February.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of following
Verb
  • The actor and his wife, singer Dua Lipa, are frequently spotted walking their actual dog, a Labrador-Rottweiler named Golo.
    — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • On the real robot, the team demonstrated walking, following a person with the camera and standing up from lying face down.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of walking

Browse Nearby Words

navigates
navigating
navigational
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Navigating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/navigating. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All