orbit
Americannoun
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the curved path, usually elliptical, taken by a planet, satellite, spaceship, etc., around a celestial body, as the sun.
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the usual course of one's life or range of one's activities.
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the sphere of power or influence, as of a nation or person.
a small nation in the Russian orbit.
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Physics. (in theBohr model ) the path traced by an electron revolving around the nucleus of an atom.
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an orb or sphere.
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Anatomy.
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the bony cavity of the skull that contains the eye; eye socket.
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the eye.
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Zoology. the part surrounding the eye of a bird or insect.
verb (used with object)
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to move or travel around in an orbital or elliptical path.
The earth orbits the sun once every 365.25 days.
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to send into orbit, as a satellite.
verb (used without object)
noun
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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
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a range or field of action or influence; sphere
he is out of my orbit
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Nontechnical name: eye socket. anatomy the bony cavity containing the eyeball
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zoology
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the skin surrounding the eye of a bird
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the hollow in which lies the eye or eyestalk of an insect or other arthropod
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physics the path of an electron in its motion around the nucleus of an atom
verb
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to move around (a body) in a curved path, usually circular or elliptical
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(tr) to send (a satellite, spacecraft, etc) into orbit
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(intr) to move in or as if in an orbit
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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.
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One complete revolution of such a body.
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See Note at solar system
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A stable quantum state of an electron (or other particle) in motion around an atomic nucleus.
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See more at orbital
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Either of two bony hollows in the skull containing the eye and its associated structures.
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To move in an orbit around another body.
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To put into an orbit, as a satellite is put into orbit around the Earth.
Discover More
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 Word Forms
- nonorbiting adjective
- orbitary adjective
Etymology
Origin of orbit
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin orbita wheel track, course, circuit
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.
They are satellites in their orbit, part of the networks that form around them.
The announced changes mean that Artemis 3, which was meant to send astronauts to the Moon's surface, will now have the different test goal of "rendezvous in low-Earth orbit" of at least one lunar lander.
From Barron's
Now Artemis III will stay closer to home - a crew will head to low-Earth orbit in 2027 to practice docking with a lunar lander.
From BBC
Although NASA's Cassini spacecraft transformed our understanding of Saturn during its 13 year mission, it also uncovered new puzzles, including the surprisingly young age of Saturn's rings and Titan's shifting orbit.
From Science Daily
That means Artemis 3, which was meant to send astronauts to the Moon's surface, will now have the alternate goal of "rendezvous in low-Earth orbit" of at least one lunar lander.
From Barron's
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.
