an instrument for determining directions, as by means of a freely rotating magnetized needle that indicates magnetic north.
the enclosing line or limits of any area; perimeter: You can find anything you want downtown within the compass of ten square blocks.
space within limits; area; extent; range; scope: the narrow compass of the strait; the broad compass of the novel.
Also called range. the total range of tones of a voice or of a musical instrument.
due or proper limits; moderate bounds: Their behavior stayed within the compass of propriety.
a passing round; circuit: the compass of a year.
Often compasses.an instrument for drawing or describing circles, measuring distances, etc., consisting generally of two movable, rigid legs hinged to each other at one end (usually used with pair of): to spread the legs of a compass and draw a larger circle.
(initial capital letter)Astronomy.
Also called Mariner's Compass.the constellation Pyxis.
Compasses,the constellation Circinus.
adjective
curved; forming a curve or arc: a compass timber; compass roof.
verb (used with object)
to go or move round; make the circuit of: It would take a week to compass his property on foot.
to extend or stretch around; hem in; surround; encircle: An old stone wall compasses their property.
to attain or achieve; accomplish; obtain.
to contrive; plot; scheme: to compass a treacherous plan.
to make curved or circular.
to comprehend; to grasp, as with the mind: His mind could not compass the extent of the disaster.
Origin of compass
1250–1300; (v.) Middle English compassen<Old French compasser to measure <Vulgar Latin *compāssāre, equivalent to compāss(us) equal step (Latin com-com- + pāssuspace1) + -āre v. suffix; (noun) Middle English compas<Old French, derivative of compasser
synonym study for compass
3. See range.
OTHER WORDS FROM compass
com·pass·a·ble,adjectivecom·pass·less,adjectiveoutcompass,verb (used with object)pre·com·pass,verb (used with object),noun
Using just a depth-sensing camera, GPS, and compass data, it learned to enter a space much as a human would, and find the shortest possible path to its destination without wrong turns, backtracking, or exploration.
Facebook is training robot assistants to hear as well as see|Karen Hao|August 21, 2020|MIT Technology Review
While this “rectangular peg problem” seems like the kind of question a high school geometry student might settle with a ruler and compass, it has resisted mathematicians’ best efforts for decades.
New Geometric Perspective Cracks Old Problem About Rectangles|Kevin Hartnett|June 25, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Like a compass, Strauss has helped guide other researchers too.
Weight lifting is this planetary scientist’s pastime|Bryn Nelson|March 10, 2020|Science News For Students
Muscovites call their favorite station “Ukho Moskvy” (Ear of Moscow) and see it as an institution, a compass for society.
The Kremlin Is Killing Echo of Moscow, Russia’s Last Independent Radio Station|Anna Nemtsova|November 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It radiates her inner light and compass, her disregard for status quo.
Why Maya Angelou Loved Sherry, The Drink of Brilliant Renegades|Jordan Salcito|June 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He goes on to compass the very nature of memory by way of considering how we memorialize mass death.
Geoff Dyer at Sea: Unmoored but on Target|Melissa Holbrook Pierson|May 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As a lifelong reader, I have rarely had any sort of compass to guide me.
Can Great Literature Really Change Your Life?|Malcolm Jones|January 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A hole, though shaped like an ellipse, in which this well-hung stud had placed it would look as if a compass traced it.
Read This and Blush: Naughty Medieval French Tales|Yunte Huang|June 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He had recourse, therefore, to the most perfidious means to compass his destruction.
Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada|Washington Irving
"But I hardly think Max would ever need a compass," Bandy-legs observed.
With Trapper Jim in the North Woods|Lawrence J. Leslie
"You must be your own judge of that," replied Christy, as he dropped down on the floor, with the compass in his hand.
Taken by the Enemy|Oliver Optic
She began boxing the compass and only once did she pause until she had gone all the way around the card.
The Meadow-Brook Girls by the Sea|Janet Aldridge
The compass of his song, Let Glorys Clarion, extended over seventeen notes.
Haunted London|Walter Thornbury
British Dictionary definitions for compass
compass
/ (ˈkʌmpəs) /
noun
an instrument for finding direction, usually having a magnetized needle which points to magnetic north swinging freely on a pivot
Also called: pair of compasses(often plural)an instrument used for drawing circles, measuring distances, etc, that consists of two arms, joined at one end, one arm of which serves as a pivot or stationary reference point, while the other is extended or describes a circle
limits or rangewithin the compass of education
musicthe interval between the lowest and highest note attainable by a voice or musical instrument
archaica circular course
verb(tr)
to encircle or surround; hem in
to comprehend or grasp mentally
to achieve; attain; accomplish
obsoleteto plot
Derived forms of compass
compassable, adjective
Word Origin for compass
C13: from Old French compas, from compasser to measure, from Vulgar Latin compassāre (unattested) to pace out, ultimately from Latin passus step
A device used to determine geographical direction, usually consisting of a magnetic needle mounted on a pivot, aligning itself naturally with the Earth's magnetic field so that it points to the Earth's geomagnetic north or south pole.
A device used for drawing circles and arcs and for measuring distances on maps, consisting of two legs hinged together at one end.