navigate

[ nav-i-geyt ]

/ ˈnæv ɪˌgeɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR navigate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), nav·i·gat·ed, nav·i·gat·ing.

to move on, over, or through (water, air, or land) in a ship or aircraft: to navigate a river.

to direct or manage (a ship, aircraft, or guided missile) on its course.

to ascertain or plot and control the course or position of (a ship, aircraft, etc.).

to pass over (the sea or other body of water), as a ship does.

to walk or find one's way on, in, or across: It was difficult to navigate the stairs in the dark.

to move or progress through in a logical sequence: Headings and subheadings make it easier to navigate a long article.

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), nav·i·gat·ed, nav·i·gat·ing.

to direct or manage a ship, aircraft, or guided missile on its course.

to pass over the water, as a ship does.

to walk or find one's way.

to travel by ship or boat; sail.

to move or progress through something in a logical sequence: We’re navigating through a maze of environmental legislation.

Computers. to move from one part to another of a website, document, etc.

Nearby words

navicular fossa of urethra, navicular fossa of vestibule of vagina, navig., navigable, navigable semicircle, navigate, navigation, navigation act, navigation acts, navigational, navigational satellite

Origin of navigate

1580–90; < Latin nāvigātus, past participle of nāvigāre to sail, derivative of nāvis ship; for formation, see fumigate

Related forms

mis·nav·i·gate, verb, mis·nav·i·gat·ed, mis·nav·i·gat·ing.re·nav·i·gate, verb (used with object), re·nav·i·gat·ed, re·nav·i·gat·ing.un·nav·i·gat·ed, adjectivewell-nav·i·gat·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for navigate

On the show, we had to find a way to navigate that in a sensitive way.
Natalie Dormer Talks ‘Hunger Games,’ Feminism, and Why ‘Game of Thrones’ Needs More Dick|Marlow Stern|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You navigate from scene to scene in an intimately small group.
New York’s Scariest Night Out: The Ghosts, Rats, and Lunatics of ‘Nightmare New York’|Justin Jones|October 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And of the fact that we were able to navigate the film that dropped in the middle of the first season.
The Leaner, Meaner Season 2 of ‘Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’|Jason Lynch|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It takes just as long to fly to Miami, he ponders, as it does to navigate the horrendous traffic on the Long Island Expressway.
The Hell of the Hamptons: Why the Exclusive Hotspot Is a Mind-Numbing Drag|Robert Gold|August 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST

At that point in time, in that situation, watching Gallinger navigate that conversation is important for us.
The Director Isn’t Done Yet: An Interview With Steven Soderbergh|Andrew Romano|August 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Until they learned to navigate they swept the eastern and southern coasts of the Mediterranean.
Peter the Hermit|Daniel A. Goodsell
The Argonaut was built to run on the surface or on the bottom; she was not designed to navigate half-way between.
Stories of Inventors|Russell Doubleday
I can navigate, checking the chronometer by lunar observation.
Workhouse Characters|Margaret Wynne Nevinson
On December 17, 1903, the first Wright biplane was ready to navigate the air and made four brief successful flights.
The Age of Invention|Holland Thompson
The daily life of those unfortunates whose duties took them there, or compelled them to navigate, was unenviable in the extreme.
British Secret Service During the Great War|Nicholas Everitt

British Dictionary definitions for navigate

navigate

/ (ˈnævɪˌɡeɪt) /

verb

to plan, direct, or plot the path or position of (a ship, an aircraft, etc)

(tr) to travel over, through, or on (water, air, or land) in a boat, aircraft, etc

informal to direct (oneself, one's way, etc) carefully or safelyhe navigated his way to the bar

(intr) (of a passenger in a motor vehicle) to give directions to the driver; point out the route

(intr) rare to voyage in a ship; sail

Word Origin for navigate

C16: from Latin nāvigāre to sail, from nāvis ship + agere to drive

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