orbit
noun
the curved path, usually elliptical, taken by a planet, satellite, spaceship, etc., around a celestial body, as the sun.
were orbiting
-
past progressiveof orbit.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
An estimated 997 active satellites were orbiting in 2010; 70,000 could be launched in the next five years thanks to commercial and military demand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
Ian Coon, 21, of Des Moines, ditched Snapchat altogether, in part because of the number of former friends and dates who were orbiting his account.
From New York Times ● Dec. 8, 2018
Finally, after waiting more than thirty years, he was permitted eight more days—and, because they were orbiting so quickly, a hundred and thirty-four more sunsets.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 9, 2016
For 24 hours, while mission control frantically reprogrammed the on-board systems in preparation for another landing attempt, Ahad and Lyakhov were orbiting the Earth alone in their tiny landing capsule.
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2014
I wiggled the dam thing around so that it was aimed upward at the sky, although I had no idea exactly where the satellites were orbiting.
From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen
