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:
In statements, Denver and Boston public school districts said they are committed to helping students and teachers navigate AI in a way that facilitates learning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Having a brother with schizophrenia and witnessing how families navigate the legal system when dealing with mental illness has informed her approach.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
He worked alongside activists and humanitarians , externalin Czechoslovakia to navigate complex political obstacles, such as getting children to Britain through the Netherlands, which had closed its borders to Jewish refugees.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Keeping the option to repay expensive debt early would be one way large companies look to navigate today’s more expensive borrowing backdrop.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
How could he navigate this crude piece of wood?
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
Prada is working to close the gap with rivals at the very top of the market as it navigates a difficult climate for luxury retail.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
The first series focused on Mary, the couple's seemingly unremarkable middle daughter as she navigates the societal pressures of Regency England.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
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 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
After the performance has concluded, the man in the grey suit navigates the crush of patrons in the theater lobby with ease.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
“We navigated a pandemic, enormous disruption across our industry, and a media landscape that seemed to change beneath our feet every year,” Lynch said in a note to staff announcing his departure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
I recently watched with smug satisfaction as OpenAI’s GPT-6 Astra model hunted through spreadsheets to reconcile an uncooperative credit card statement and then navigated QuickBooks to make sure it was reflected in the right places.
From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026
"As a result, the ship navigated like a 'ghost vessel', effectively invisible to other traffic," the report said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
Meanwhile, her mother, having navigated four older siblings’ athletic careers, was free to travel with 14-year-old Tracy because the nest was empty.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
The robins and wood thrushes and other small birds that navigated by the stars at night fluttered down into the trees.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
“We strongly encourage the rest of the industry to preserve reasoning transparency in these pivotal moments of increased capabilities while navigating alignment risks,” Google said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
His rule for navigating friendship and finances is to "keep your wallet close but your friends closer".
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Marsh CEO John Doyle on navigating global risk, cyber threats and AI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Navatek was not a profit center but a vehicle for Loui’s passion projects, like an experimental catamaran for navigating Hawaii’s choppy waters.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
We were to do our own navigating by measuring the angle between various stars and the horizon.
From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins
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.
