comet

noun

com·​et ˈkä-mət 

: a celestial body that appears as a fuzzy head usually surrounding a bright nucleus, that has a usually highly eccentric orbit, that consists primarily of ice and dust, and that often develops one or more long tails when near the sun

cometary

ˈkä-mə-ˌter-ē 

adjective

cometic

kə-ˈme-tik 

kä-

adjective

Examples of comet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Perseid shooting stars can be seen each year as Earth crashes through the trail of debris shed by the icy comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 24 Aug. 2026

This code, developed at Switzerland’s University of Bern over two decades, is designed to simulate collisions between asteroids, comets and planets, and analyze the impact by looking at millions of individual particles involved in each scenario. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026

This meteor shower is known for being plentiful and is part of the debris stream of the periodic comet Swift-Tuttle, which takes 133 years to orbit the Sun. — Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2026

The Perseids, like all meteors, are offshoots from comets, specifically the Swift-Tuttle Comet which orbits the Sun every 133 years. — Vince Basada, Sacbee.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English comete, from Old English cometa, from Latin, from Greek komētēs, literally, long-haired, from koman to wear long hair, from komē hair

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for comet

• grommet
• vomit
• recommit

Kids Definition

comet

noun

com·​et ˈkäm-ət 

: a bright heavenly body that develops a cloudy tail as it moves closer to the sun in its orbit

Etymology

Old English cometa "comet," from Latin cometa (same meaning), from Greek komētēs, literally, "long-haired," derived from komē "hair" — related to coma entry 2