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

Perseid shooting stars appear as Earth enters the debris trail cast off by the icy comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 13 Aug. 2026

This meteor shower is known for being plentiful and is part of the debris stream of the periodic comet Swift-Tuttle, which takes 133 years to orbit the Sun. — Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2026

The Perseids, like all meteors, are offshoots from comets, specifically the Swift-Tuttle Comet which orbits the Sun every 133 years. — Vince Basada, Sacbee.com, 12 Aug. 2026

The meteors in the Perseid meteor shower come from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, a large comet discovered by American astronomers Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle in 1862, according to NASA. — Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 12 Aug. 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