orbit

[ awr-bit ]

/ ˈɔr bɪt /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: orbit / orbited / orbiting on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.

verb (used with object)

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.

verb (used without object)

to go or travel in an orbit.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of orbit

1350–1400; Middle English <Latin orbita wheel track, course, circuit

OTHER WORDS FROM orbit

or·bit·ar·y, adjectivenon·or·bit·ing, adjective

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

How to use orbit in a sentence

“This mission represents the initiation of a Dragon in orbit continuously, knocking on wood,” Shotwell said, according to The Verge.
SpaceX and NASA officially flew people into space. What’s next?|Charlie Wood|November 18, 2020|Popular-Science
The more planets a system has, the more circular their orbits, no matter where you look or what kind of star they orbit.
Planets with many neighbors may be the best places to look for life|Lisa Grossman|November 16, 2020|Science News
Axiom Space has signed three private astronauts to join former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría on Ax-1, the first private mission into orbit and to the International Space Station.
A private company has a crew going to the ISS next year|Neel Patel|November 12, 2020|MIT Technology Review
These were giants like Jupiter, hotter than Venus, tearing around their suns inside the orbit of Mercury.
There Could Be 300 Million (or More) Earth-Like Planets in Our Galaxy|Jason Dorrier|November 8, 2020|Singularity Hub

Most studies figure this out by gauging the distance of an exoplanet from its host star and whether its orbit is not too close and not too far—the so-called Goldilocks zone.
Half the Milky Way’s sun-like stars could be home to Earth-like planets|Neel Patel|November 6, 2020|MIT Technology Review
The authors of the new study used data from the Cassini probe orbiting Saturn to measure the libration of Mimas.
Saturn’s Death Star Look-Alike|Matthew R. Francis|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Exoplanet astronomy—the search for planets orbiting other stars—has two major goals.
The Exoplanet That Wasn’t There|Matthew R. Francis|July 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Obviously this method is most useful for very massive planets orbiting close to the host star.
The Exoplanet That Wasn’t There|Matthew R. Francis|July 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As we learn about exoplanets orbiting distant stars, those two basic categories seem to hold.
Mega-Earth Is the Weirdest Exoplanet Yet|Matthew R. Francis|June 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Imagine, though, a Saturn-mass exoplanet with a Titan-sized moon orbiting its star within the habitable zone.
Could ‘Star Wars’ Be Right About Habitable Moons?|Matthew R. Francis|May 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Dane rode out the orbiting in the Com-tech's seat, listening in for the first warning of danger—that they had been detected.
Plague Ship|Andre Norton
The ship swung down into the cloud layer; floating wisps of gray vapor streamed past the orbiting Cavour.
Starman's Quest|Robert Silverberg
He might have time to collect all the orbiting cargo before he got dangerously close to spillthrough.
Spillthrough|Daniel F. Galouye
Later they had sent strange samples of the animal life of their planet, aboard orbiting missiles, to be studied by the Swifts.
Tom Swift and The Visitor from Planet X|Victor Appleton
The Cluster Queen was drawing up to the last orbiting crate.
Spillthrough|Daniel F. Galouye

British Dictionary definitions for orbit

orbit

/ (ˈɔːbɪt) /

noun

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; spherehe is out of my orbit

anatomy the bony cavity containing the eyeballNontechnical 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

verb

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

Word Origin for orbit

C16: from Latin orbita course, from orbis circle, orb

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

Scientific definitions for orbit

orbit

[ ôr′bĭt ]

Noun

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.

Verb

To move in an orbit around another body.

To put into an orbit, as a satellite is put into orbit around the Earth.

Cultural definitions for orbit

orbit

In astronomy, the path followed by an object revolving around another object, under the influence of gravitation (see satellite). In physics, the path followed by an electron within an atom. The planets follow elliptical orbits around the sun (see ellipse).

notes for orbit

Informally, something is “in orbit” when its actions are controlled by an external agency or force: “The countries of eastern Europe were once in the orbit of the Soviet Union.”

Other Idioms and Phrases with orbit

orbit

see in orbit.

orbit

Origin of orbit

OTHER WORDS FROM orbit

Words related to orbit

How to use orbit in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for orbit

Word Origin for orbit

Scientific definitions for orbit

Cultural definitions for orbit

notes for orbit

Other Idioms and Phrases with orbit