navigate

views updated May 23 2018

nav·i·gate / ˈnaviˌgāt/ • v. 1. [intr.] plan and direct the route or course of a ship, aircraft, or other form of transportation, esp. by using instruments or maps: they navigated by the stars. ∎  [intr.] travel on a desired course after planning a route: he taught them how to navigate across the oceans. ∎  (of an animal or bird) find its way, esp. over a long distance: whales use their own inbuilt sonar system to navigate. ∎  (of a passenger in a vehicle) assist the driver by reading the map and planning a route: we'll go in my car—you can navigate. ∎  (of a ship or boat) sail; proceed: we sailed out surrounded by loose ice while navigating around larger grounded icebergs.2. [tr.] sail or travel over (a stretch of water or terrain), esp. carefully or with difficulty: ships had been lost while navigating the narrows. ∎  guide (a vessel or vehicle) over a specified route or terrain: she navigated the car safely through the traffic. ∎  make one's way with difficulty over (a route or terrain): the drivers skillfully navigated a twisting and muddy course. ∎  Comput. [intr.] move from one accessible page, section, or view of a file or Web site to another: the new layout makes it easier to navigate through their atlas of world maps.