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

The comet will be visible for a very short time, about two hours before sunrise, now until April 21. —Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026

There are enormous numbers of small bodies, from tiny moonlets to asteroids to comets and more, that simply aren’t massive enough to pull themselves into hydrostatic equilibrium. —Big Think, 14 Apr. 2026

On Saturday, April 18, comet Pan-STARRS will get to within a couple of degrees of galaxy NGC 7814, a distant edge-on spiral. —Jamie Carter, Space.com, 13 Apr. 2026

Meteor showers occur when the Earth crosses the path of a comet, colliding with a trail of debris. —Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 13 Apr. 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