inner planet

noun

: any of the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars whose orbits are within the asteroid belt

Examples of inner planet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As a red giant, the sun will likely evaporate the solar system’s inner planets such as Mercury and Venus, although Earth’s fate remains unclear, according to NASA. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 26 Feb. 2024

Kane’s analysis, published last month, shows that the growing star will engulf the three inner planets. —Quanta Magazine, 20 Dec. 2023

And the question is: How, among these inner planets, was Earth the only one who could begin life and sustain life? —Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Nov. 2023

All of the planets are larger than Earth, with the two inner planets just slightly larger and the other five planets even bigger, about twice the size of Earth. —Kerry Breen, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1951, in the meaning defined above