orbit
the curved path, usually elliptical, taken by a planet, satellite, spaceship, etc., around a celestial body, as the sun.
the usual course of one's life or range of one's activities.
the sphere of power or influence, as of a nation or person: a small nation in the Russian orbit.
Physics. (in the Bohr model ) the path traced by an electron revolving around the nucleus of an atom.
an orb or sphere.
Anatomy.
the bony cavity of the skull that contains the eye; eye socket.
the eye.
Zoology. the part surrounding the eye of a bird or insect.
to move or travel around in an orbital or elliptical path: The earth orbits the sun once every 365.25 days.
to send into orbit, as a satellite.
to go or travel in an orbit.
Origin of orbit
1Other words from orbit
- or·bit·ar·y, adjective
- non·or·bit·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use orbit in a sentence
As that matter orbits the black hole, it heats up and emits a lot of light.
But comets, thanks to their eccentric and frequently long orbits, are trickier to study up close.
By contrast, a calmer birth would result in more regular star orbits.
Kepler-10c, which is the proper name for the mega-Earth, orbits its star much closer than our planet does.
Most stars in the Milky Way have humdrum lives, tracing slow predictable orbits around the galactic center.
The Hypervelocity Star That’s Being Booted from the Galaxy | Matthew R. Francis | May 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
His hollow eyes, glistening with a somber fire, flamed from the depths of their orbits.
The Pilgrim's Shell or Fergan the Quarryman | Eugne SueThe orbits of the eye—the eye-cap, or bone,—not too projecting, that it may not form a fatal obstacle in lambing.
Domestic Animals | Richard L. AllenBut we were started off, flung off, one might say, into different orbits by the forces of the war itself.
The Hidden Places | Bertrand W. SinclairThe cheek-bones were prominent, and the black eyes sunken in their orbits.
Mrs. Skaggs's Husbands and Other Stories | Bret HarteMy eyes started out of their orbits like a rabbit's eyes, occasioned by a great cold and smoke.
Revolutionary Reader | Sophie Lee Foster
British Dictionary definitions for orbit
/ (ˈɔːbɪt) /
astronomy the curved path, usually elliptical, followed by a planet, satellite, comet, etc, in its motion around another celestial body under the influence of gravitation
a range or field of action or influence; sphere: he is out of my orbit
anatomy the bony cavity containing the eyeball: Nontechnical name: eye socket
zoology
the skin surrounding the eye of a bird
the hollow in which lies the eye or eyestalk of an insect or other arthropod
physics the path of an electron in its motion around the nucleus of an atom
to move around (a body) in a curved path, usually circular or elliptical
(tr) to send (a satellite, spacecraft, etc) into orbit
(intr) to move in or as if in an orbit
Origin of orbit
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for orbit
[ ôr′bĭt ]
The path followed by a celestial body or artificial satellite as it revolves around another body due to the force of gravity. Orbits are nearly elliptical or circular in shape and are very closely approximated by Kepler's laws of planetary motion.
One complete revolution of such a body. See Note at solar system.
A stable quantum state of an electron (or other particle) in motion around an atomic nucleus. See more at orbital.
Either of two bony hollows in the skull containing the eye and its associated structures.
To move in an orbit around another body.
To put into an orbit, as a satellite is put into orbit around the Earth.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for orbit
Notes for orbit
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with orbit
see in orbit.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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