earthward

adverb

earth·​ward ˈərth-wərd How to pronounce earthward (audio)
variants or less commonly earthwards
: toward the earth

Examples of earthward in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And right now, there’s very little regulation governing how most of these satellites are launched, or what happens to the internal components when the satellites die, fall earthward, and burn up in the atmosphere. Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 8 Aug. 2024 In 2021 five children died in Australia when gusts swept up an inflatable castle more than 30 feet into the air, sending nine fifth- and sixth-graders tumbling earthward. Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 4 Aug. 2024 Beyond the bridge, the expressway lurches earthward again and veers west to follow the coastline. Justin Beal, Harper's Magazine, 14 Dec. 2022 The baby moon, which sent earthward a steady song of triumph that was picked up on minitrack and other receivers, had to achieve a fantastic speed of 18,000 miles an hour 300 miles above the earth to get into orbit. Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2023 As the codewords journeyed earthward, the engineers knew some 1s would be distorted into 0s and some 0s into 1s. Quanta Magazine, 20 Dec. 2013 Roofs had collapsed earthward, the buildings’ innards — mattresses, curtains, chair legs — sticking out at odd angles. Robert F. Worth, New York Times, 24 May 2016

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of earthward was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near earthward

Cite this Entry

“Earthward.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/earthward. Accessed 14 Dec. 2024.

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