satellite

American  

[sat-l-ahyt] / ˈsæt lˌaɪt /

noun

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

• satellited
  adjective

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

Unable to return to the south, some displaced families are sharing the cost of purchasing satellite images -- at $140 -- to catch a glimpse of their hometowns.

From Barron's • May 22, 2026

This extra resistance can gradually alter satellite trajectories and cause some spacecraft to lose altitude faster than expected.

From Science Daily • May 22, 2026

The rocket is designed to loft Starlink satellites, deploy the futuristic AI satellite fleet the company wants to create, and underpins Chief Executive Elon Musk’s exploration dreams.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

EchoStar has spectrum assets, a satellite TV business, and cash.

From Barron's • May 22, 2026

Sputnik weighed three times more than the United States' Vanguard 1 satellite, which had not even launched successfully.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau