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

Meteor showers such as the Lyrids can be tracked yearly, because the debris flying through the night sky in fiery streaks is coming from the same comet. —Hali Smith march 31, Idaho Statesman, 31 Mar. 2026

Wait a few hundred-thousand years, and another star will drift into our Oort cloud, perturbing it and potentially triggering new comets arriving in our inner Solar System. —Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026

Another Kreutz comet was Comet Lovejoy in December 2011, which swept to within 87,000 miles (140,000 km) of the sun's surface. —Joe Rao, Space.com, 31 Mar. 2026

The comet is expected to be visible in the predawn sky for observers in the Northern Hemisphere through much of the month, with April 17 highlighted as one of the best opportunities to spot it. —Claire Dodds, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 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