1
as in accomplishing
to carry through (as a process) to completion
attempting more than his modest abilities could compass
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in circling
to travel completely around
the great age of exploration, when ships of sail compassed the earth
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in plotting
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 surrounding
to form a circle around
a mysterious isle, compassed by treacherous seas
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compassing
Verb
-
In Division 2, Oliver Ames takes aim at a four-peat and has a great shot at accomplishing the feat due to the stellar all-around play of Nick Babanikas and a terrific goalie in Zack Gilson.—
Greg Dudek,
Boston Herald,
11 Sep. 2025 -
Collaborating with others, accomplishing something, gives meaning.—
Stephan Rabimov,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Less than 12 seconds later, the vehicle was off the runway, but the plane had already started circling the airport.—
Aaron Cooper,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Sewell's been absolute granite at tackle, and now he's got Micah circling the matchups on his calendar.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Still, no reason to do this to Kyle, who is just only recovering from his self-destructive spiral and who has no idea that his friend is plotting to steal his girl again.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Its director, and franchise mastermind, Rian Johnson has proven himself a master of the whodunnit form with these films, showing a knack for Agatha Christie puzzle-plotting that, well, the actual adapters of Christie haven’t shown in recent years.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Despite questions surrounding his confirmation, Hegseth secured support in January from all but three Republicans to become Defense secretary with a 51-50 vote as Vice President JD Vance broke the tie.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Assembled over three years, Bolaño’s rubric was simple, surrounding herself with pieces that inspired creativity.—
Keith Flanagan,
Architectural Digest,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In July, a judge said Decarlos Brown might not be mentally capable of understanding previous charges against him.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
-
With a background in psychology, intercultural studies, and past work for a professional study abroad agency, Stephens is an endless resource for understanding the cultural variations that come with immigrating to new places globally.—
Essence,
Essence,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Live records could also be a way of fulfilling a contractual obligation (too many examples to cite) or a way to mollify fans who were going to have to wait a while for another studio record (Fleetwood Mac’s 1980’s concert record, which bridged the gap between Tusk and Mirage).—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Volunteering with girls’ organizations, the elderly, mentoring, or hosting free workshops could all be deeply fulfilling and affirming opportunities.—
Essence,
Essence,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
That same sense of gravity is felt by golfers traversing the dynamic dunes.—
Tim Corlett,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Sure, there were attacks and counterattacks and waves of soldiers traversing across No Man’s Land.—
Michael Jerome Plunkett
September 5,
Literary Hub,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
No other spacecraft has probed beneath the clouds encircling Jupiter the way that Juno has, or has imaged our Solar System’s largest planet so comprehensively and over such extended periods of time.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Nonetheless, its economy has largely adapted to Western sanctions, and Russian forces are advancing in the Donbas, now encircling the city of Pokrovsk and steadily advancing toward Kostyantynivka.—
Joshua Yaffa,
New Yorker,
22 Aug. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Compassing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compassing. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share