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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web But the photos that came back from the dwarf planet revealed a world of mountains, ridges, and... strange lumpy things that don't have an obvious Earthly analog. John Timmer, Ars Technica, 17 Dec. 2021 But, alas, our journey to this furthest dwarf planet is about to come to an end. Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 6 July 2015 The dwarf planet Ceres is currently the largest object in the asteroid belt and has a radius that is only some 27 percent the radius of our Moon, Kane notes. Bruce Dorminey, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2023 Vesta is the second-largest object in the asteroid belt, second only to the dwarf planet Ceres. Korey Haynes, Discover Magazine, 18 Mar. 2019 Since then, meteorites from the dwarf planet have fallen to Earth and collected over recent centuries. Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 14 Sep. 2022 But astronomers keep finding new dwarf planet candidates every year. Eric Betz, Discover Magazine, 2 Feb. 2020 Ceres is an icy dwarf planet with daytime temperatures sitting at about negative 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 27 May 2022 Much more of our solar system will come under the observatory’s roaming eye, including Saturn, Uranus and even remote icy objects beyond Neptune — such as the dwarf planet Pluto. Jonathan O’callaghan, New York Times, 21 Sep. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dwarf planet.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

1993, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dwarf planet was in 1993

Dictionary Entries Near dwarf planet

Cite this Entry

“Dwarf planet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dwarf%20planet. Accessed 22 Mar. 2023.

Kids Definition

dwarf planet

noun
: a celestial object similar to a planet but too small to clear other objects from its orbit
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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