1
as in directions
a guiding or motivating purpose or principle
a young go-getter who lost his moral compass in the course of his quest for fame and fortune
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in scopes
an area over which activity, capacity, or influence extends
within the compass of my voice
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in edges
the line or relatively narrow space that marks the outer limit of something
within the compass of the city walls
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in implements
to carry through (as a process) to completion
attempting more than his modest abilities could compass
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in circles
to travel completely around
the great age of exploration, when ships of sail compassed the earth
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in plots
to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends
the rebels are compassing the assassination of the king
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in surrounds
to form a circle around
a mysterious isle, compassed by treacherous seas
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in knows
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of compasses
Alex James Kane,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
As for steering a buggy to the Artemis base, compasses don’t work on the moon, and dust will adhere to optics, so NASA has pioneered plans to use Earth’s Galileo and GPS satellites to navigate.
—
Dan Vergano,
Scientific American,
11 May 2026
Pilots learn to navigate using maps and compasses, as well as natural cues such as stars and terrain features including rivers, bridges and other landmarks to orient themselves and move toward friendly forces.
—
Luis Martinez,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2026
Likewise, this administration has demonstrated a talent for sudden pivots — foreign policy statements that change overnight, budget proposals that evaporate by morning, and messaging that suggests the communications team may be using different maps, compasses and time zones.
—
Voice Of The People,
New York Daily News,
17 Feb. 2026
In ordinary magnetic materials, unpaired electrons behave like tiny compasses and eventually align with one another.
—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
18 Jan. 2026
Over 1,000 years ago, explorers began using compasses, typically made with a floating cork or piece of wood with a magnetized needle in it, to find their way.
—
Scott Brame,
The Conversation,
16 Dec. 2025
Starting in 1910, the company served as the secretive supplier to the commandos of the Italian Navy, starting out crafting precision instruments such as gun sights and luminescent compasses before creating its first watches in 1935.
—
Jean E. Palmieri,
Footwear News,
9 Oct. 2025
Orienteering is an outdoor sport that requires athletes to navigate between checkpoints using maps and compasses.
—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
So many role-playing games spoonfeed you with compasses and waypoints and fourth-wall-breaking warnings.
—
Alex James Kane,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
As for steering a buggy to the Artemis base, compasses don’t work on the moon, and dust will adhere to optics, so NASA has pioneered plans to use Earth’s Galileo and GPS satellites to navigate.
—
Dan Vergano,
Scientific American,
11 May 2026
Pilots learn to navigate using maps and compasses, as well as natural cues such as stars and terrain features including rivers, bridges and other landmarks to orient themselves and move toward friendly forces.
—
Luis Martinez,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2026
Likewise, this administration has demonstrated a talent for sudden pivots — foreign policy statements that change overnight, budget proposals that evaporate by morning, and messaging that suggests the communications team may be using different maps, compasses and time zones.
—
Voice Of The People,
New York Daily News,
17 Feb. 2026
In ordinary magnetic materials, unpaired electrons behave like tiny compasses and eventually align with one another.
—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
18 Jan. 2026
Over 1,000 years ago, explorers began using compasses, typically made with a floating cork or piece of wood with a magnetized needle in it, to find their way.
—
Scott Brame,
The Conversation,
16 Dec. 2025
Starting in 1910, the company served as the secretive supplier to the commandos of the Italian Navy, starting out crafting precision instruments such as gun sights and luminescent compasses before creating its first watches in 1935.
—
Jean E. Palmieri,
Footwear News,
9 Oct. 2025
Orienteering is an outdoor sport that requires athletes to navigate between checkpoints using maps and compasses.
—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compasses
Noun
-
Gunfire rang out into the vehicle until both men eventually ran away in opposite directions.
-
Mercury stations retrograde in Cancer in your 3rd House of Communication, making texts, directions, calls, errands, and local plans easier to misread.
Noun
-
Avian scopes are typically below 20, and so are the scopes for fishes.
-
Permissions are increasingly derived at runtime from natural-language intent in ways that OAuth scopes were never designed to govern.
Noun
-
Lingering Southwest wildfire conditions Elsewhere, thunderstorms expected to track along the heat dome’s edges from the Rockies to the northern Plains, with others forming along the Gulf Coast, could bring temporary afternoon relief, AccuWeather said.
-
Rainwater tends to gather along the road edges.
Verb
-
That could change on July 1, when the California Department of Parks and Recreation implements stricter rules and penalties for people who fail to cancel their reservation in a timely manner.
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The City Council implements a procedure for considering all recommendations.
Verb
-
Chapter 1 Randy Fields stalks through the newsroom, circles my desk and sits across from me.
-
The book circles political concerns that remain relevant today, including empire, caste prejudice, and the dangers of despotism and corruption.
Verb
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While Burnham plots his next move, the UK government now enters a new period of uncertainty, potentially facing a sixth prime minister in seven years.
-
An engineer plots a well’s falling output, fits a curve, and projects it forward.
Verb
-
Whether a black hole appears dark or dazzling depends largely on how much gas and dust surrounds it, not on the black hole itself.
-
Courts are not operating in the same zone of scientific uncertainty that surrounds many glyphosate, talc, or social media claims.
Verb
-
The cocktail is a fantastic way to get acquainted with Fernet Branca, and who knows?
-
Our constitution is color-blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens.
Cite this Entry
“Compasses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compasses. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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