inner planet

noun

: any of the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars whose orbits are within the asteroid belt

Examples of inner planet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Even during the solar system’s shooting-gallery phase, about four billion years ago, when accreted rubble was pounding the inner planets—the amount of material that fell to Earth was comparatively tiny. Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 30 Sep. 2024 As a red giant, the sun will likely evaporate the solar system’s inner planets such as Mercury and Venus, although Earth’s fate remains unclear, according to NASA. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 26 Feb. 2024 Kane’s analysis, published last month, shows that the growing star will engulf the three inner planets. Quanta Magazine, 20 Dec. 2023 And the question is: How, among these inner planets, was Earth the only one who could begin life and sustain life? Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Nov. 2023 See all Example Sentences for inner planet 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inner planet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1951, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of inner planet was in 1951

Dictionary Entries Near inner planet

Cite this Entry

“Inner planet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inner%20planet. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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