satellite

American  

[sat-l-ahyt] / ˈsæt lˌaɪt /

noun

• satellites
  plural

1. Astronomy. a natural body that revolves around a planet; a moon.

2. a country under the domination or influence of another.

3. something, as a branch office or an off-campus facility of a university, that depends on, accompanies, or serves something else.

4. an attendant or follower of another person, often subservient or obsequious in manner.

   Synonyms:

   flunky, toady, sycophant, parasite, lackey, associate, companion, supporter, follower

5. a device designed to be launched into orbit around the earth, another planet, the sun, etc.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or constituting a satellite.

   the nation's new satellite program.

2. using an earth-orbiting satellite to transmit communications signals; transmitted or broadcast by satellite.

   satellite radio and TV.

3. subordinate to another authority, outside power, or the like.

   summoned to a conference of satellite nations.

satellite British  

/ ˈsætəˌlaɪt /

noun

1. a celestial body orbiting around a planet or star

   the earth is a satellite of the sun

2. Also called: artificial satellite.  a man-made device orbiting around the earth, moon, or another planet transmitting to earth scientific information or used for communication See also communications satellite

3. a person, esp one who is obsequious, who follows or serves another

4. a country or political unit under the domination of a foreign power

5. a subordinate area or community that is dependent upon a larger adjacent town or city

6. (modifier) subordinate to or dependent upon another

   a satellite nation

7. (modifier) of, used in, or relating to the transmission of television signals from a satellite to the house

   a satellite dish aerial

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verb

1. (tr) to transmit by communications satellite

satellite Scientific  

/ săt′l-īt′ /

1. A small body in orbit around a larger body.

2. See Note at moon

3. An object launched to orbit Earth or another celestial body. Satellites are used for research, communications, weather information, and navigation. The first artificial Earth satellite was Sputnik 1, launched by the Soviet Union in October 1957; the first successful American satellite was launched in January 1958.

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satellite ¹ Cultural  

1. In astronomy, an object, whether natural (such as the moon) or artificial (such as a weather observation satellite), that revolves around a central body. (See under “World Politics.”)

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satellite ² Cultural  

1. Any object in orbit about some body capable of exerting a gravitational (see gravitation) force. Artificial satellites in orbit around the Earth have many uses, including relaying communication signals, making accurate surveys and inventories of the Earth's surface and weather patterns, and carrying out scientific experiments.

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satellite ³ Cultural  

1. In politics, a nation that is dominated politically by another. The Warsaw Pact nations, other than the former Soviet Union itself, were commonly called satellites of the Soviet Union.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• satellited
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• satellites
  plural

Etymology

Origin of satellite

1540–50; 1955–60 satellite for def. 2; < Latin satellit- (stem of satelles ) attendant, member of bodyguard or retinue

Explanation

A satellite is something small or less powerful that orbits around something bigger. It often describes a body in space, such as an artificial satellite that orbits the Earth and beams down signals that power devices like cell phones. The word satellite was first used to describe a follower of someone in a superior position. The word's meaning later broadened to describe anything small that's dependent on something larger. The small satellite circles around the more powerful force, like a moon orbiting a planet. Satellite can describe a small country — a satellite country — controlled by a larger one, or a large organization that has a small office — a satellite office — in another location.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

satellite satellites

DirecTV absorbed the losses because Sunday Ticket helped attract and retain satellite subscribers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

Plus, the U.S. links Chinese satellite imagery to a deadly Iranian strike, and the ultimate workplace survival guide.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

Knutti agreed that this was a good example of how satellite data could potentially be used for "systematic observing systems for disaster prevention that could save hundreds or thousands of lives".

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

That’s the highest such temperature in the modern record of satellite data, according to Michelle L’Heureux, El Niño team lead at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

At the time appointed I sent the wake signal to the relay satellite, which was in stationary orbit about 300 miles over South Karhide.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

The company last launched satellites in July, though it has future missions booked with ULA and others.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

Ministers said they wanted to create jobs and help Britain and its partners launch satellites without relying on countries "further afield".

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

SpaceX completed its 80th Starlink launch of the year on Sunday, sending 27 satellites to low-Earth orbit from California.

From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026

If that doesn’t work, they have navigational backups, including signals from Starlink satellites and comparing the territory they fly over with preloaded maps.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

Kind of like the one about girls and math and satellites.

From "The Lions of Little Rock" by Kristin Levine