precess
Americanverb (used without object)
verb
Etymology
Origin of precess
First recorded in 1890–95; back formation from precession
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A planet orbiting both stars experiences competing gravitational pulls, which cause its orbit to slowly rotate, or precess, much like a spinning top wobbling under gravity.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 19, 2026
"When the inner disk tears off, it will precess independently," Kaaz said.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2023
At the same time, this magnetic field causes the spin of the muons to precess smoothly like a gyroscope, as the particles travel around the ring, but with a small wobble.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 14, 2021
Whereas Newton predicted that a planet should orbit its star in an ellipse, general relativity predicts that the orientation of the ellipse should advance slightly, or precess, with each orbit.
From Science Magazine ● Jan. 7, 2021
To "do up" a formal ruff was a wearisome, difficult, and costly precess.
From Two Centuries of Costume in America, Volume 1 (1620-1820) by Earle, Alice Morse
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.
