dwarf planet

noun

: a celestial body that orbits the sun and has a spherical shape but is not large enough to disturb other objects from its orbit

Examples of dwarf planet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The roughly 680-mile-wide (1,090 kilometers) dwarf planet would pass in front of the background star at an angle visible only to observers in northern Canada and other parts of the Arctic during daylight hours. —Nola Taylor Tillman, Space.com, 10 Sep. 2025

Three planets have been found around the dwarf planet Proxima Centauri, by far the smallest and dimmest of the stellar threesome. —Eric MacK, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025

As for the second astrological transit, the transformational dwarf planet Pluto is squaring the needle Pluto, and also making a square. —Lisa Stardust, People.com, 3 July 2025

It was renamed a dwarf planet in 2006 by the International Astronomical Union because of its size and that other planets may cross its orbit. —Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 23 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1993, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dwarf planet

• intranet
• gannet
• granite
• pomegranate

Kids Definition

dwarf planet

noun

: a celestial object similar to a planet but too small to clear other objects from its orbit