navigate

[nav-i-geyt]

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.

Origin of navigate

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

Related formsmis·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

Related Words for navigating

maneuver, handle, sail, cross, cruise, operate, steer, voyage, plot, direct, drive, journey, skipper, helm, plan, captain, pilot

Examples from the Web for navigating

Contemporary Examples of navigating

Saa is now navigating a new life in America as an incognito boarding school student.
Walking Dead’s Danai Gurira Vs. Boko Haram
Kristi York Wooten
November 30, 2014
Did he give you any advice during the shoot about navigating the next step of your career?
'The Giver' Star Brenton Thwaites Knows You Think He's Too Old to Play Jonas
Kevin Fallon
August 13, 2014
Earlier this year, army Apaches shot up several convoys that refused to stop while navigating mountainous dunes near the border.
On the Contraband Trail With Libya’s Gun Smugglers
Peter Schwartzstein
June 16, 2014
The Daily Beast arrived two hours after the shooting, navigating the unlit roads through mining country.
Inside Putin's Rigged Ukraine Election
Jamie Dettmer
May 12, 2014
Navigating this brave new world is the inventively-named Anana, an employee at a soon to be obsolete print dictionary.
This Week’s Hot Reads: April 21, 2014
Thomas Flynn
April 22, 2014

Historical Examples of navigating

Most Serene Prince: I have been engaged in navigating from my youth.
Christopher Columbus and His Monument Columbia
Various
Mr. Kincaide, will you take the first watch as navigating officer?
The Death-Traps of FX-31
Sewell Peaslee Wright
He had just entered the navigating room in response to my order.
Vampires of Space
Sewell Peaslee Wright
I wonder, sir, if you could come to the navigating room at once?
Vampires of Space
Sewell Peaslee Wright
Yes, sir, yes, sir; but can't you see that I am not navigating a balloon?
The Confessions of a Caricaturist, Vol 2 (of 2)
Harry Furniss

British Dictionary definitions for navigating

navigate

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

Word Origin and History for navigating

navigate

1580s, a back-formation from navigation, or else from Latin navigatus, past participle of navigare. Extended to balloons (1784) and later to aircraft (1901). Related: Navigated; navigating.