navigation

American  

[nav-i-gey-shuhn] / ˌnæv ɪˈgeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of navigating.

2. the art or science of plotting, ascertaining, or directing the course of a ship, aircraft, or guided missile.

3. Computers.

   1. 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.

   2. 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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navigation British  

/ ˌnævɪˈɡeɪʃən /

noun

1. the skill or process of plotting a route and directing a ship, aircraft, etc, along it

2. the act or practice of navigating

   dredging made navigation of the river possible

3. rare ship traffic; shipping

4. dialect an inland waterway; canal

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Other Word Forms

• misnavigation
  noun
• navigational
  adjective
• nonnavigation
  noun
• renavigation
  noun

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."

Example Sentences

Advanced Navigation has plans for a base in Huntsville, Alabama, that it expects will improve its chances of successfully pitching to security conscious customers who want to deal with U.S.-based companies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

Ramsey Faragher, director of the Royal Institute for Navigation, says that GPS jamming in the waters off Iran raises the risk of a maritime accident.

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2026

One of my favorite small features: Navigation directions don’t kill the music.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

They also used data from the Global Navigation Satellite System to measure ground movement and fault slip.

From Science Daily • Jan. 1, 2026

She became an assistant at the Aero Navigation Laboratory of the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy in Moscow, working with the academy instructor and director, Aleksandr Belyakov.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

• boating
• exploration
• shipping