compass
an instrument for determining directions, as by means of a freely rotating magnetized needle that indicates magnetic north.
the enclosing line or limits of any area; perimeter: You can find anything you want downtown within the compass of ten square blocks.
Also called range . the total range of tones of a voice or of a musical instrument.
due or proper limits; moderate bounds: Their behavior stayed within the compass of propriety.
a passing round; circuit: the compass of a year.
Often compasses . an instrument for drawing or describing circles, measuring distances, etc., consisting generally of two movable, rigid legs hinged to each other at one end (usually used with pair of): to spread the legs of a compass and draw a larger circle.
Astronomy.
Compass. Also called Mar·i·ner's Com·pass [mar-uh-nerz kuhm-puhs] /ˈmær ə nərz ˈkʌm pəs/ . the constellation Pyxis.
Compasses, the constellation Circinus.
curved; forming a curve or arc: a compass timber;compass roof.
to go or move round; make the circuit of: It would take a week to compass his property on foot.
to attain or achieve; accomplish; obtain: To have compassed this task in the limited time available is no mean achievement.
to make curved or circular.
to comprehend; to grasp, as with the mind: His mind could not compass the extent of the disaster.
Origin of compass
1synonym study For compass
Other words from compass
- com·pass·a·ble, adjective
- com·pass·less, adjective
- out·com·pass, verb (used with object)
- pre·com·pass, verb (used with object), noun
- un·com·pass·a·ble, adjective
Words Nearby compass
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use compass in a sentence
I fundamentally feel that the Gallaudet Board of Trustees has lost its way and its moral compass.
It also includes a compass and flashlight, so it makes getting lost almost impossible.
Under Tomé’s watch, the shipping giant is resetting its compass and choosing its path with care.
Using just a depth-sensing camera, GPS, and compass data, it learned to enter a space much as a human would, and find the shortest possible path to its destination without wrong turns, backtracking, or exploration.
Facebook is training robot assistants to hear as well as see | Karen Hao | August 21, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewWhile this “rectangular peg problem” seems like the kind of question a high school geometry student might settle with a ruler and compass, it has resisted mathematicians’ best efforts for decades.
New Geometric Perspective Cracks Old Problem About Rectangles | Kevin Hartnett | June 25, 2020 | Quanta Magazine
Muscovites call their favorite station “Ukho Moskvy” (Ear of Moscow) and see it as an institution, a compass for society.
The Kremlin Is Killing Echo of Moscow, Russia’s Last Independent Radio Station | Anna Nemtsova | November 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe repeated it again, slowly: “He has no values…He has no moral compass whatsoever.”
It radiates her inner light and compass, her disregard for status quo.
Why Maya Angelou Loved Sherry, The Drink of Brilliant Renegades | Jordan Salcito | June 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe goes on to compass the very nature of memory by way of considering how we memorialize mass death.
Geoff Dyer at Sea: Unmoored but on Target | Melissa Holbrook Pierson | May 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBoyd does have a moral compass—not yours or mine—but he does have one.
Kentucky’s Finest Antihero: Walton Goggins on Justified’s Chameleon Villain | Allen Barra | February 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTShe habitually ate chocolates for their sustaining quality; they contained much nutriment in small compass, she said.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate ChopinThe manual compass on these organs seldom extended higher than f2 or g3, though it often went down to GG.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building | George Laing MillerLater it was extended to F, 30 notes, which is the compass generally found in England.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building | George Laing MillerThis was the point of compass revealed by the astrologer as most favourable to the young candidate for manly honours.
Our Little Korean Cousin | H. Lee M. PikeWith the exception of the Celestes, which go down to FF only, every stop is complete, of full compass.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building | George Laing Miller
British Dictionary definitions for compass
/ (ˈkʌmpəs) /
an instrument for finding direction, usually having a magnetized needle which points to magnetic north swinging freely on a pivot
Also called: pair of compasses (often plural) an instrument used for drawing circles, measuring distances, etc, that consists of two arms, joined at one end, one arm of which serves as a pivot or stationary reference point, while the other is extended or describes a circle
limits or range: within the compass of education
music the interval between the lowest and highest note attainable by a voice or musical instrument
archaic a circular course
to encircle or surround; hem in
to comprehend or grasp mentally
to achieve; attain; accomplish
obsolete to plot
Origin of compass
1Derived forms of compass
- compassable, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for compass
[ kŭm′pəs ]
A device used to determine geographical direction, usually consisting of a magnetic needle mounted on a pivot, aligning itself naturally with the Earth's magnetic field so that it points to the Earth's geomagnetic north or south pole.
A device used for drawing circles and arcs and for measuring distances on maps, consisting of two legs hinged together at one end.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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