navigate
Americanverb (used with object)
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navigates,
present (3rd person singular)
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navigated,
past participle, past
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navigating
present participle
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to move on, over, or through (water, air, or land) in a ship or aircraft.
to navigate a river.
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to direct or manage (a ship, aircraft, or guided missile) on its course.
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to ascertain or plot and control the course or position of (a ship, aircraft, etc.).
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to pass over (the sea or other body of water), as a ship does.
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to walk or find one's way on, in, or across.
It was difficult to navigate the stairs in the dark.
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to move or progress through in a logical sequence.
Headings and subheadings make it easier to navigate a long article.
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Computers. to move from one part to another of (a website, document, etc.), especially by using the links.
Their site is uncluttered and easy to navigate.
verb (used without object)
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navigates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
navigated,
past participle, past
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navigating
present participle
-
to direct or manage a ship, aircraft, or guided missile on its course.
-
to pass over the water, as a ship does.
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to walk or find one's way.
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to travel by ship or boat; sail.
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to move or progress through something in a logical sequence.
We’re navigating through a maze of environmental legislation.
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Computers. to move from one part to another of a website, document, etc.
verb
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to plan, direct, or plot the path or position of (a ship, an aircraft, etc)
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(tr) to travel over, through, or on (water, air, or land) in a boat, aircraft, etc
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informal to direct (oneself, one's way, etc) carefully or safely
he navigated his way to the bar
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(intr) (of a passenger in a motor vehicle) to give directions to the driver; point out the route
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rare (intr) to voyage in a ship; sail
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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navigatesimple
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navigatessimple
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have navigatedperfect
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has navigatedperfect
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am navigatingprogressive
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are navigatingprogressive
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is navigatingprogressive
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have been navigatingperfect progressive
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has been navigatingperfect progressive
Past
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navigatedsimple
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had navigatedperfect
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was navigatingprogressive
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were navigatingprogressive
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had been navigatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of navigate
First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin nāvigātus “sailed,” past participle of nāvigāre “to sail,” from nāv(is) “ship” + -igāre, combining form of agere “to drive, do”; cf. fumigate
Explanation
To navigate is to determine a path or course. If you volunteer to navigate on your family’s road trip to Alaska, be sure you’re the type who’s willing to stop and ask for directions. Navigate, like “navy” and “naval,” comes from the Latin word navis meaning “ship.” Without the luxury of modern technology, ancient sailors had to be excellent navigators; they often relied on the stars to chart their course. (We don’t recommend that you try this method of navigation with your family in the car.)
Vocabulary lists containing navigate
100 SAT Words Beginning with "N"
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"Sisters" by Raina Telgemeier
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"The Math Instinct," Vocabulary from the math essay
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“It just exacerbates the consumer confusion as they’re trying to navigate pricing of airlines,” Farrell said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
To help users navigate the growing Local Volume Mapper dataset, the collaboration has introduced LVMvis.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
Medpace has carved out a niche helping smaller biotechs navigate the regulatory process.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
Chelsea have two left-backs already in Jorrel Hato and new signing Pep Chavarria and are not in Europe, so will not have as many fixtures to navigate this season.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Arm in arm they navigate the crowd, circling around the glowing bonfire that many patrons are still gazing at, mesmerized by the dancing white flames.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
The iPhone maker’s stock has been on a steady upward trend in 2026, even as Apple navigates a memory crunch that has forced the company to raise prices on some of its products.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
In his third season with the Dodgers, rising star Andy Pages navigates the agonizing reality of being separated from his parents and sister as U.S.-Cuba relations face new flashpoints.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2026
Instead of striving to set a timeline for their child’s exit, parents should take pride in providing assistance as their child navigates independence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
After a boom in demand during the pandemic, the industry has gone through a period of consolidation as it navigates the thin margins involved in home-delivery services, especially for food.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
Zohra links her arm with mine and navigates me through the crowds, warning me for the seventeenth time to watch my purse.
From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan
The disruption was especially pronounced when participants navigated without permanent landmarks.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026
Cutler said this has a lower likelihood of being overridden by courts, noting Trump's top trade official Jamieson Greer had carefully navigated procedural requirements before imposing duties.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Treasury yields were trading little changed in Asian trade, as investors navigated between higher oil prices and hopes of an end to hostilities between the U.S. and Iran.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
“We acknowledge these overhangs but note that Netflix has successfully navigated similar periods of skepticism,” she said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
He navigated the dark, silent mobile home, hoping not to disturb Uncle Jet, who was sleeping on the couch in the living room until the hogan was cleaned.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
We’re navigating historically expensive housing, student debt, inflation, stagnant entry-level wages and a social landscape with more entertainment options than previous generations had.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
During the same period that Google and DeepMind were navigating their new relationship, a rival lab by the name of OpenAI had begun working on a large language model.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
“The Wrong Girls” comes to have its own wayward sense of internal logic, navigating off a slightly woozy compass.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
In addition to navigating the Covid-19 pandemic, Deno faced two activist investors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
He takes sharp turns, navigating the maze with expert precision.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
