1957; < Russian spútnik satellite, traveling companion, equivalent to s- together, with + put’ way, route + -nik agent suffix ( cf. -nik)
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He also hosts a weekly show on state-run radio station Sputnik.
From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026
In Brussels, at the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union and the U.S. had dueling pavilions—one touting Sputnik, the other the “American dream”—but the fair’s theme was peaceful uses of atomic energy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026
A big lesson since Sputnik launched the Space Age is that we are Earthlings to the core.
From Slate • Dec. 9, 2025
In February, Russian authorities travelled to Ethiopia for the launch of a new editorial centre for Sputnik.
From BBC • Aug. 24, 2025
While I listened to the beeping, I had this mental image of Russian high-school kids lifting the Sputnik and putting it in place on top of a big, sleek rocket.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
