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WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026or•bit /ˈɔrbɪt/USA pronunciation
n.
- Astronomythe curved path, usually rounded, that a planet, satellite, spaceship, etc., follows around a heavenly body: [countable]a comet with a very irregular orbit.[uncountable; in/into + ~]a spacecraft in orbit.
- the area of a nation's or a person's influence:[countable]within England's orbit.
v.
- Astronomyto move or travel around in an orbital or rounded path: [~ + object]The satellite orbited the earth.[no object]The moon orbited above the horizon.
- Aerospace[~ + object] to send into orbit, as a satellite.
or•bit•al /ˈɔrbɪtəl/USA pronunciation adj.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026or•bit
(ôr′bit),USA pronunciation n.
- Astronomythe curved path, usually elliptical, described by a planet, satellite, spaceship, etc., around a celestial body, as the sun.
- the usual course of one's life or range of one's activities.
- the sphere of power or influence, as of a nation or person:a small nation in the Russian orbit.
- Physics(in Bohr theory) the path traced by an electron revolving around the nucleus of an atom.
- an orb or sphere.
- Anatomy
- the bony cavity of the skull that contains the eye;
eye socket.
- Anatomythe eye.
- Zoologythe part surrounding the eye of a bird or insect.
v.t.
- Astronomyto move or travel around in an orbital or elliptical path:The earth orbits the sun once every 365.25 days.
- Aerospaceto send into orbit, as a satellite.
v.i.
- to go or travel in an orbit.
- Latin orbita wheel track, course, circuit
- Middle English 1350–1400
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
orbit /ˈɔːbɪt/ n - the curved path, usually elliptical, followed by a planet, satellite, comet, etc, in its motion around another celestial body under the influence of gravitation
- a range or field of action or influence; sphere
- the bony cavity containing the eyeball
- the skin surrounding the eye of a bird
- the hollow in which lies the eye or eyestalk of an insect or other arthropod
- the path of an electron in its motion around the nucleus of an atom
vb - to move around (a body) in a curved path, usually circular or elliptical
- (transitive) to send (a satellite, spacecraft, etc) into orbit
- (intransitive) to move in or as if in an orbit
Etymology: 16th Century: from Latin orbita course, from orbis circle, orb
'orbit' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
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