Noun – Compass
1 (count) : a device that is used to find direction by means of a needle that always points north
He always carries a compass when he walks in the woods.
Guests arrived from all points of the compass. (=directions)
2 (count) : something that helps a person make choices about what is right, effective, etc.
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.
3 a (count) : a tool that consists of two pointed sticks joined at the top and that is used for measuring distances — often plural
a pair of compasses (=dividers)
3 b (count) : a tool that consists of a pen or pencil attached to a pointed stick and that is used for drawing circles
4 (noncount) : a specialized area of knowledge, skill, experience, etc. — often used after beyond or within
That topic falls beyond the compass (=beyond the scope) of my research.