Kuiper Belt

noun

Kui·​per Belt ˈkī-pər- 

: a band of small celestial bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune from which many short-period comets are believed to originate compare oort cloud

Examples of Kuiper Belt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

With New Horizons now having flown past Pluto and deeper into the Kuiper Belt, astronomers have to instead rely on more distant and less direct means of keeping tabs on Pluto's atmosphere. — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Launched in January 2006, New Horizons became the first spacecraft to fly by Pluto in 2015 before continuing deeper into the Kuiper Belt, a region beyond Neptune filled with icy objects. — Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, expected to launch at the end of August, can use its powerful observational tools to see what exists beyond the Kuiper Belt, Brandt added. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 16 July 2026

The technology could also support missions to Neptune and Triton, long-duration probes studying outer planet moons, and future Kuiper Belt explorers traveling farther than New Horizons. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 15 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Gerald A. Kuiper †1973 U.S. (Dutch-born) astronomer

First Known Use

1988, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Kuiper Belt

• celt
• dealt
• dwelt
• felt
• knelt
• melt
• pelt
• smelt
• spelt
• veldt
• welt
• heartfelt