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
-
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:
“Because I try to be as inclusive as possible, so when they get that role, they’ve kind of been in a lot of those scenarios already because they’re helping me navigate those things.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
“Attempting to navigate current circumstances in ways that could enrich those very competitors is not a sustainable strategy for the United States.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
"It is still essential borrowers do not delay seeking advice to navigate the mortgage maze."
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Maybe someone smarter or more charismatic than Erika Kirk would have been able to navigate these contradictions.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
With all the curtains and blinds drawn, Chess had to navigate by the thin slats of moonlight that trickled in along the edges.
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Kazan doesn’t sacrifice much of the character’s darkness, but rather enables Pugh, an actress who ably navigates purity and corruption, to play with both closer to the surface than usual.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
The company has touted Cybercab as a lower-cost option versus competing robotaxis, because its vehicle navigates roads using only cameras and neural networks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
The way the central couple navigates the twists, turns, roadblocks and unforced errors that entangle their budding relationship is the beating heart of these films.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
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
I hang on as the plane navigates around the S curves, and my hands grow stinging paper cuts.
From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King
India has navigated the energy crisis sparked by the Iran war in part by turning to Russia, its most controversial fuel supplier in recent years.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
"It was a lovely goal from Alexis and a lovely goal from Dominik Szoboszlai. It is good the midfielders can add goals," said Iraola, who smartly navigated a question about Mac Allister's future.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
But Grand and Maxwell navigated the first phase on their own: writing and filing a pivotal brief, known as a “cert petition,” that asks the court to take a case.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
The company navigated supply-chain, political and economic disruptions.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 4, 2026
She navigated us through the desert, under clear blue skies, the sand so bright it hurt to look at.
From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan
If you’re trying to understand what’s happening online: Raising a kid today requires spending a lot of time navigating digital platforms.
From Slate ● Sep. 10, 2026
It led to divorce and birthed the series, which aimed to give a glimpse of Utah’s Mormon mom influencers navigating the hyper-conservative religious expectations they live by or grew up in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
But to do this, it sacrifices the straight lines that made the Mercator projection perfect for navigating with - and it cannot be used for measuring the true distance between different places.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
The conflict wore on, however, and navigating the Strait of Hormuz remains fraught.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
She was no doubt taking the political wind into account, navigating Soviet affairs of state as carefully as she navigated the skies.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
