Example:
I [...] the house to see what was happening in the yard.
I thought of encircle and surround. But I'm not sure if can use them to mean "to walk around something."
Example:
I [...] the house to see what was happening in the yard.
I thought of encircle and surround. But I'm not sure if can use them to mean "to walk around something."
I think cross and traverse will fit in almost all contexts.
And if it is some close space pass/go/cross through might work as well.
Someone has already mentioned circumnavigate. However, according to Merriam Webster Dictionary, circumnavigate means "to travel all the way around (something) in a ship, airplane, etc.".
I believe the word you are looking for is circumambulate, which means "to circle on foot especially ritualistically".
I circumambulated the house to see what was happening in the yard.
Additionally, you may also use circled, which means "to move in a circle or circuit around; rotate or revolve around", as opposed to encircled, which means "to form a circle around; surround; encompass" or "to make a circling movement around; make the circuit of"
I am thinking of circumnavigate. I admit is does sound unusual to say "I circumnavigated the house to get the yard", however, if it's a single word you are looking for, the second part of the definition below does seem to fit.
From MW
circumnavigate - to go completely around (as the earth) especially by water; also : to go around instead of through : bypass
I rounded the house to see what was happening in the yard.
Skirted: go around or past the edge of.
"he did not go through the city but skirted it"
synonyms: go around, walk around, circle "he skirted the city"