navigation
Americannoun
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the act or process of navigating.
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the art or science of plotting, ascertaining, or directing the course of a ship, aircraft, or guided missile.
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Computers.
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the act or process of moving from one part of a website, software program, document, etc., to another part, especially by using links or menus.
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the design and placement of user interface elements like links and menus that allow a user to move from one part of a website, software program, document, etc., to another part.
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noun
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the skill or process of plotting a route and directing a ship, aircraft, etc, along it
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the act or practice of navigating
dredging made navigation of the river possible
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rare ship traffic; shipping
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dialect an inland waterway; canal
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of navigation
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin nāvigātiōn- (stem of nāvigātiō ) “a voyage”; see navigate, -ion
Explanation
Navigation is all about figuring out how to get somewhere. If you are lost, hopefully your cell phone can act as a navigation device. You're most likely to come across the noun navigation when you're learning to sail a boat or pilot a ship or airplane. Large vessels that travel long distances often need some help in planning a route and following it, and that's exactly what navigation is all about. The Latin word navigare, "to sail, sail over, go by sea, steer a ship," is at the root of navigation, and it in turn comes from navis, "ship."
Vocabulary lists containing navigation
"Rogue Wave," Vocabulary from the short story
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Lesson 1
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"Rogue Wave" by Theodore Taylor
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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.
Aside from quantum computers themselves, Infleqtion is developing technologies like quantum sensors and atomic clocks that lend themselves to precision timing and navigation.
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
"So the interconnectedness, visa-free travel and ease of payment and navigation makes China much closer than it used to be," Gabuev says.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars Odyssey orbiter, Curiosity rover, and Perseverance rover will contribute observations and navigation support.
From Science Daily • May 11, 2026
The navigation officer was on the bridge radioing the Iranian navy a question that had become maddeningly repetitive and desperately urgent: When would the ship be able to leave?
From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026
And it was a wonderful chance for Marina to use her new navigation skills over the enormous distances of the Soviet Union.
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.
