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

The oldest meteor shower, the Lyrids originated from the comet C/1861 G1, known as Thatcher. —Avni Trivedi, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2026

During meteor showers, Earthlings ooh and aah over bits of rock that have broken off comets or asteroids as the travel around the sun. —Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 20 Apr. 2026

This weekend, caught up in stars circling Polaris is a comet possibly bright enough to barely see with the naked eye, especially away from urban light pollution. —Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 19 Apr. 2026

By studying the colors of 3I/ATLAS' coma, the bubble of gas that surrounds comets regardless of their origins, Shinnaka and colleagues estimated the ratio of carbon dioxide to water around the interstellar invader. —Robert Lea, Space.com, 17 Apr. 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