COMPASSING Synonyms: 146 Similar and Opposite Words

compassing

verb

present participle of compass

as in fulfilling

to carry through (as a process) to completion attempting more than his modest abilities could compass

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in circling

to travel completely around the great age of exploration, when ships of sail compassed the earth

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as in plotting

to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends the rebels are compassing the assassination of the king

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as in surrounding

to form a circle around a mysterious isle, compassed by treacherous seas

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as in understanding

to have a clear idea of the concept that the earth is billions of years old is one that the average mind struggles to compass

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for compassing

Verb

But official sources briefing Iranian media stressed any reopening of the strait would depend on the United States fulfilling what Tehran sees as its commitment to end its own naval blockade of Iran's ports.

— Mark Osborne, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026
Decades later, fulfilling the typical American Dream of a home with white picket fence dotting the front lawn has become all but unattainable, as home prices have soared 235% since January 2000.

— Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of fulfilling

Verb

The captain of a lobster diving boat, Steven Del Sol, told officials that his vessel was anchored off Fisher Island when Simpson's Conch-brand boat allegedly approached him at high speed and began circling his boat, the arrest affidavit said.

— Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
Journal, rest, take a silent walk, or name the thought that keeps circling.

— Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of circling

Verb

The Voyagers have been skirting this dismal fate for years now, with NASA engineers carefully monitoring each spacecraft’s power supplies and plotting out when to turn off individual instruments to keep the missions going as long as possible.

— Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 7 Aug. 2026
While this reunion was happening, Juke was watching from a safe distance, plotting.

— Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of plotting

Verb

Order is restored to the kingdom through what is known as the Rumpelstiltskin effect, a term used by psychologists to describe the naming of something in order to create an illusion of understanding it.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2026
Why Boxwoods Turn Brown The key to saving a browning boxwood is understanding why its foliage is fading to begin with, as not all causes are necessarily bad.

— Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of understanding

Verb

This emergent behavior by agents single-mindedly focused on accomplishing their goals combined with powerful reasoning models is cause for even greater concern than previously revealed.

— Ron Schmelzer, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
DiCaprio then continued to work on a best path forward for accomplishing the goal, work that eventually led to the formation of the Phoenix Species Project.

— Chris Gardner for The Hollywood Reporter, Robb Report, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of accomplishing

Verb

Not many indoor cats like leashes or traversing the great outdoors with their person.

— Emily Tarinelli, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2026
Rescue crews in southern Colorado rushed to rescue a climber over the weekend who had fallen about 50 feet while traversing between Little Bear Peak and Blanca Peak in Alamosa County.

— Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of traversing

Verb

Champions Nigeria enter with 10 stars encircling the crest on their jerseys, having won 10 of the previous 13 WAFCONs, and looking to add an 11th.

— Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 26 July 2026
The stone is halo-set on a pavé band—jewelry lingo for having a ring of small white diamonds encircling the stone and covering the band.

— Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 21 July 2026

Definition of encircling

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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compasses

compassing

compassion

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“Compassing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compassing. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of compassing

verb

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