as in circles
to travel completely around
the moon orbits the Earth
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Recent Examples of orbits
IEEE Spectrum, 21 Jan. 2026
The plan represents a departure for Europe’s top satellite makers, which have traditionally focused on large, complex spacecraft in high orbits, but the industry has been disrupted by Starlink’s small, relatively cheap, low-orbit machines.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 24 Oct. 2025
If a planet orbits close to its star in an elliptical orbit, then its interior will stretch and squeeze as the gravitational strength of the star changes.
—Paul Sutter, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2026
Abigail is the one who clearly thrills to performance; Shaun consistently orbits her sun, giving the impression of the bearded and bespectacled multi-instrumentalist who’d be happy jamming on the sidelines.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 17 Mar. 2026
About 15% of near-Earth asteroids are estimated to be binary systems, in which a smaller asteroid orbits a larger companion.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 11 Mar. 2026
At just 530 feet in diameter, Dimorphos is a moonlet asteroid that orbits the larger 2,560-foot Didymos.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
This pattern repeats year after year, as the Earth orbits the Sun.
—Vahe Peroomian, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2026
As the exomoon orbits its host, its gravity swings the planet around their common center of gravity, called the barycenter.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 27 Feb. 2026
Starlink orbits the Earth at about 550 kilometers, and covers the entire globe, cutting the latency time (the data time between the user and satellite) down to around 25 milliseconds, according to its website.
—Dallas Morning News, Boston Herald, 21 Feb. 2026
Noun
Canadian and American researchers simulated satellite orbits in low Earth orbit and generated a metric, the CRASH Clock, that measures the number of days before collisions start happening if collision-avoidance maneuvers stop.
—IEEE Spectrum, 21 Jan. 2026
The plan represents a departure for Europe’s top satellite makers, which have traditionally focused on large, complex spacecraft in high orbits, but the industry has been disrupted by Starlink’s small, relatively cheap, low-orbit machines.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 24 Oct. 2025
If a planet orbits close to its star in an elliptical orbit, then its interior will stretch and squeeze as the gravitational strength of the star changes.
—Paul Sutter, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
Psyche is a nickel-iron core asteroid that orbits the sun beyond Mars anywhere from 235 million to 309 million miles away.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2026
Abigail is the one who clearly thrills to performance; Shaun consistently orbits her sun, giving the impression of the bearded and bespectacled multi-instrumentalist who’d be happy jamming on the sidelines.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 17 Mar. 2026
About 15% of near-Earth asteroids are estimated to be binary systems, in which a smaller asteroid orbits a larger companion.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 11 Mar. 2026
At just 530 feet in diameter, Dimorphos is a moonlet asteroid that orbits the larger 2,560-foot Didymos.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
This pattern repeats year after year, as the Earth orbits the Sun.
—Vahe Peroomian, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2026
As the exomoon orbits its host, its gravity swings the planet around their common center of gravity, called the barycenter.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 27 Feb. 2026
Starlink orbits the Earth at about 550 kilometers, and covers the entire globe, cutting the latency time (the data time between the user and satellite) down to around 25 milliseconds, according to its website.
—Dallas Morning News, Boston Herald, 21 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for orbits
Noun
-
The steel loops that attach it to your bag are super sturdy and durable.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The musicians presumably had to rely heavily on loops in order to finish their tracks before the buzzer went off, and something is always slamming, scratching, or puttering away in the background.—
Daniel Bromfield,
Pitchfork,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Editing compounds that issue, and not even a familiar and fun soundtrack can distract from a narrative that endlessly circles the same jokes and conflicts without properly deepening them.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Anthony Arceneaux, who owns the spot with his wife, Jennifer, circles the room in a white cowboy hat, shaking hands like a Presidential candidate.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Then, looking at the amp rating of your circuits (most laundry appliances require a 15–30 amp circuit).—
Lauren Bengtson,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
While oil that traverses the strait is usually bound for Asia and other places rather than North America, the chaos still affects the United States.—
Nicholas Riccardi,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Running daily between the two cities, the train traverses 381 miles in about 11 hours.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Many states treat these bikes like motorcycles, so they’re not allowed on sidewalks or paths, but in some states there are no specific rules for the ultra-fast bikes.—
Sarah Raza,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The Boston bats erased themselves from the base paths inning after inning.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
To honor the occasion, David Rockecharlie, Chief Executive Officer, joined by Chris Taylor, NYSE Vice President and Head of Listings and Services, rings The Opening Bell®.—
TipRanks.com Staff,
CNBC,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Cala Pregonda, Menorca Just an island over from the tourist-trodden Mallorca, Menorca feels a world away—a sentiment that rings even more true in the north of the island.—
Catherine Tansey,
Condé Nast Traveler,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Rather, there are distinct trajectories, driven by energy dependence, fiscal pressures, governance and stability.—
Ezgi Canpolat,
The Conversation,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Both were attending a conference on theoretical computer science, but the academic trajectories that had brought them there were strikingly different.—
Ben Brubaker,
Quanta Magazine,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Understanding this behavior opens new pathways for improving battery design.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Advocates in the deaf community have long criticized the district's separation of its oral and sign language pathways.—
Kayla Huynh,
jsonline.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Orbits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/orbits. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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