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.
He doesn’t really want his audience to leave a show with any kind of particular thoughts of his immigrant experience, or his navigation of the corporate world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
In August it launched a research program using artificial intelligence to study the data of its 50 million users to improve navigation of the healthcare system.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
There are multiple apps dedicated to finding the cheapest fuel around, but Google Maps is used by 77% of Britain's adult population for general navigation, according to Ofcom.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Around that time, the navigation apps on many phones in Kyiv showed users as located in Peru.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
These include the earliest dated set of European navigation instruments found thus far: compasses, protractors, calipers, sounding leads, tide calculators, and a device for calculating speed called a log reel.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
