Illustration of compass
- compass 3a
compassed; compassing; compasses
1
: to devise or contrive often with craft or skill : plot
" … persons … who have compassed my destruction … "—
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens2
: encompass
a lake compassed by mountains
3
a
: bring about, achieve
… none can compass more than they intend …—Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope
b
: to get into one's possession or power : obtain
He compassed a vast estate.
4
: comprehend
could not compass the seriousness of the problem
1
a
: boundary, circumference
within the compass of the city walls
b
: a circumscribed space
crammed into a narrow compass
2
: a curved or roundabout course
… a compass of seven days' journey …—2 Kings 3:9 (King James Version)
2 Kings 3:9 (King James Version)3
a
: a device for determining directions by means of a magnetic needle or group of needles turning freely on a pivot and pointing to the magnetic north
b
: any of various nonmagnetic devices that indicate direction
c
: an instrument for describing circles or transferring measurements that consists of two pointed branches joined at the top by a pivot
—usually used in plural
called also pair of compasses
4
: direction sense 6c
his moral compass
Synonyms
Examples of compass in a Sentence
Verb
attempting more than his modest abilities could compass
the great age of exploration, when ships of sail compassed the earth
Noun
He always carries a compass when he walks in the woods.
His religion is the compass that guides him.
Interest rates serve as a compass for determining whether to buy or sell stocks.
The character in the movie had no moral compass to tell him that stealing was wrong.
Recent Examples on the Web
Tomas Tranströmer, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
Abigail Jackson The adjacent dining area is dedicated to family heirlooms like a set of Allan Gould compass chairs from Kate’s interior designer grandmother and a red vintage rug from her great-grandparents.
—Morgan Goldberg, Architectural Digest, 11 Sep. 2024
Melanie Borden, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
Nor did researchers need tape measures, binoculars, or compasses to find their way through the thick foliage.
—Anna Lagos, WIRED, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for compass 
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Verb
The wind sighs: Save me, Lord, for the waters have compassed my soul.
—Tomas Tranströmer, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
Abigail Jackson The adjacent dining area is dedicated to family heirlooms like a set of Allan Gould compass chairs from Kate’s interior designer grandmother and a red vintage rug from her great-grandparents.
—Morgan Goldberg, Architectural Digest, 11 Sep. 2024
Noun
Define Your Purpose Purpose is your compass for success.
—Melanie Borden, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
Nor did researchers need tape measures, binoculars, or compasses to find their way through the thick foliage.
—Anna Lagos, WIRED, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for compass
Dictionary Entries Near compass
Cite this Entry
“Compass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compass. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
compass
1 of 2 verb
com·pass
ˈkəm-pəs 
also ˈkäm-
1
: to travel entirely around
compass the earth
2
compass
2 of 2 noun1
2
a
: a device for determining directions by means of a magnetic needle pointing to the magnetic north
b
: any of various other devices that indicate direction
3
: an instrument for drawing circles or transferring measurements that consists of two pointed branches joined at the top
—usually used in plural
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