satellite

[ sat-l-ahyt ]

/ ˈsæt lˌaɪt /

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See synonyms for satellite on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

a country under the domination or influence of another.

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

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

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

adjective

of, relating to, or constituting a satellite: the nation's new satellite program.

using an earth-orbiting satellite to transmit communications signals; transmitted or broadcast by satellite: satellite radio and TV.

subordinate to another authority, outside power, or the like: summoned to a conference of satellite nations.

OTHER WORDS FOR satellite

4 follower, supporter, companion, associate; lackey, parasite, sycophant, toady, flunky.

See synonyms for satellite on Thesaurus.com

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 satellite

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

OTHER WORDS FROM satellite

sat·el·lit·ed, adjective

Words nearby satellite

Sat-cit-ananda, Satcom, sate, sated, sateen, satellite, satellite broadcasting, satellite city, satellite dish, satellite dish aerial, satellite navigation

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

How to use satellite in a sentence

The additional 1,280 satellites were approved for medium Earth orbits of 8,500km.
Bankrupt OneWeb gets FCC approval for another 1,280 broadband satellites|Jon Brodkin|August 27, 2020|Ars Technica
The effort will combine satellite images of agricultural regions with subseasonal forecasts out to 45 days.
Improved three-week weather forecasts could save lives from disaster|Alexandra Witze|August 27, 2020|Science News
Some cosmologists would answer that, today, with our satellites, we are making the required measurements.
Schrödinger’s Cat When Nobody Is Looking - Issue 89: The Dark Side|Daniel Sudarsky|August 26, 2020|Nautilus
The company has launched more than 600 satellites for Starlink, a high-speed Internet network that could begin commercial service late this year for customers in northern North America.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX gets a stratospheric valuation in its latest funding|Verne Kopytoff|August 18, 2020|Fortune

We’re poised to see more satellite launches with every passing year, which means more pieces of rocketry and spacecraft getting loose and zipping around at over 22,000 mph.
How to cast a wider net for tracking space junk|Neel Patel|August 5, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Initially, it will be able to carry 1,000-pound satellite-guided bombs or 500-pound laser-guided weapons.
New U.S. Stealth Jet Can’t Fire Its Gun Until 2019|Dave Majumdar|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For air supplier Hughes Aircraft, it was crucial satellite pieces from Russia.
The American Ebola Rescue Plan Hinges on One Company. Meet Phoenix.|Abby Haglage|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Thus the report on the Guy Fawkes effigies, which also was picked up by RT, the English-language Russian satellite channel.
Think Putin’s Bad? Wait for the Next Guy|Anna Nemtsova|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As a result, a satellite passing over a higher-mass region would speed up very slightly, and slow down over a lower-mass one.
Glaciers Lose 204 Billion Tons of Ice in Three Years|Matthew R. Francis|October 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A small outdoor television satellite dish sticks out of tall grass alongside a few piles of firewood.
ISIS Is Putin’s Problem, Too, and This Chechen Is One Reason Why.|Anna Nemtsova|September 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She was captured many years ago in an attempt to overthrow the rule of Wananda upon a small satellite planet.
Valley of the Croen|Lee Tarbell
Such an attachment of a small or weak toward a great and powerful nation dooms the former to be the satellite of the latter.
Key-Notes of American Liberty|Various
His Life by his satellite Boswell holds the first place among biographies as a triumph of portraiture.
The Political History of England - Vol. X.|William Hunt
He beckoned to his Chinese satellite and walked leisurely to the door.
The Daffodil Mystery|Edgar Wallace
Rose hurried away her sister and satellite, and then let loose her glee.
A Houseful of Girls|Sarah Tytler

British Dictionary definitions for satellite

satellite

/ (ˈsætəˌlaɪt) /

noun

a celestial body orbiting around a planet or starthe earth is a satellite of the sun

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

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

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

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

(modifier) subordinate to or dependent upon anothera satellite nation

(modifier) of, used in, or relating to the transmission of television signals from a satellite to the housea satellite dish aerial

verb

(tr) to transmit by communications satellite

Word Origin for satellite

C16: from Latin satelles an attendant, probably of Etruscan origin

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 satellite

satellite

[ săt′l-īt′ ]

A small body in orbit around a larger body. See Note at moon.

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.

Cultural definitions for satellite (1 of 3)

satellite

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.

Cultural definitions for satellite (2 of 3)

satellite

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.”)

Cultural definitions for satellite (3 of 3)

satellite

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.

satellite

OTHER WORDS FOR satellite

Origin of satellite

OTHER WORDS FROM satellite

Words nearby satellite

Words related to satellite

How to use satellite in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for satellite

Word Origin for satellite

Scientific definitions for satellite

Cultural definitions for satellite (1 of 3)

Cultural definitions for satellite (2 of 3)

Cultural definitions for satellite (3 of 3)