Kuiper Belt

noun

Kui·​per Belt ˈkī-pər- 

variants or less commonly Kuiper belt

: a band of small celestial bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune from which many short-period comets are believed to originate

A team of astronomers … has likely discovered a rare three-body system in the Kuiper Belt. If confirmed, this would mark only the second such system found in the distant region of icy bodies beyond Neptune …

—Clarence Oxford

compare oort cloud

Examples of Kuiper Belt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Back then, Pluto was classified as a full planet, but the discovery of 1992 QB-1, as well as Kuiper Belt objects even larger than Pluto found later, raised questions about Pluto's status. — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 30 Aug. 2026

This phrase is a complicated way of simply acknowledging the fact that Pluto sits within the Kuiper Belt, a vast swarm of bodies that go around the sun in similar orbits beyond Neptune. — Mike Brown, Scientific American, 24 Aug. 2026

Instead, the museum included Pluto as one of the 300 icy bodies that orbited beyond Neptune in the Kuiper Belt. — Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 24 Aug. 2026

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, expected to launch at the end of August, can use its powerful observational tools to see what exists beyond the Kuiper Belt, Brandt added. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 16 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Gerard P. Kuiper †1973 U.S. (Dutch-born) astronomer

First Known Use

1988, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Kuiper Belt

• celt
• dealt
• dwelt
• felt
• knelt
• melt
• pelt
• smelt
• spelt
• veldt
• welt
• heartfelt