"compasses" in the noun sense
1. compass
navigational instrument for finding directions
2. scope, range, reach, orbit, compass, ambit
an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"
"a piano has a greater range than the human voice"
"the ambit of municipal legislation"
"within the compass of this article"
"within the scope of an investigation"
"outside the reach of the law"
"in the political orbit of a world power"
3. compass, range, reach, grasp
the limit of capability
"within the compass of education"
4. compass
drafting instrument used for drawing circles
"compasses" in the verb sense
1. compass
bring about accomplish
"This writer attempts more than his talents can compass"
2. circumnavigate, compass
travel around, either by plane or ship
"We compassed the earth"
3. grok, get the picture, comprehend, savvy, dig, grasp, compass, apprehend
get the meaning of something
"Do you comprehend the meaning of this letter?"
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
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