orb

[ awrb ]

See synonyms for orb on Thesaurus.com

noun

a sphere or globe: a Christmas tree hung with brightly colored orbs.
the eyeball or eye: He looks with blind orbs on an indifferent world.

any of the heavenly bodies, as the sun or moon: He lay on the grass, warmed by that orb of day, the sun.
a globe bearing a cross; the mound or emblem of sovereignty, especially as part of the regalia of England.
Astrology. the number of degrees from exactness within which an aspect operates.
a circle or something circular.
Astronomy. (formerly) the orbit of a heavenly body.
the earth.

verb (used with object)

to form into a circle or sphere.
Archaic. to encircle; enclose.

verb (used without object)

to move in an orbit.
to form into an orb or globe; round out.

Origin of orb

First recorded in 1520–30, orb is from the Latin word orbis circle, disk, orb

Other words from orb

orbless, adjective
orblike, adjective
un·orbed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use orb in a sentence

And they were surnamed Cyclopes (orb-eyed) because one orbed eye was set in their foreheads.
Hesiod, The Homeric Hymns, and Homerica | Homer and Hesiod
His fatherly nature and his full-orbed glory are dwelt upon in adoring and glowing terms.
Sumerian Hymns | Frederick Augustus Vanderburgh
A full orbed moon stood just atop the trees that lined the eastern rim of hills.
The Purple Flame | Roy J. Snell
Where the days when he removed himself, as it were, and watched his full-orbed creations careering in the intellectual void?
The Divine Fire | May Sinclair
In the morning light my angel sat, and her notes, full orbed and star-like, descended upon my brain.
Charles Auchester, Volume 2 (of 2) | Elizabeth Sheppard

British Dictionary definitions for orb

orb

/ (ɔːb) /

noun

(in royal regalia) an ornamental sphere surmounted by a cross, representing the power of a sovereign
a sphere; globe

poetic another word for eye 1
obsolete, or poetic
- a celestial body, esp the earth or sun
- the orbit of a celestial body
an archaic word for circle

verb

to make or become circular or spherical
(tr) an archaic word for encircle

Origin of orb

C16: from Latin orbis circle, disc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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