meteorite

noun

me·​te·​or·​ite ˈmē-tē-ə-ˌrīt 

: a meteor that reaches the surface of the earth without being completely vaporized

meteoritic

ˌmē-tē-ə-ˈri-tik 

adjective

or less commonly meteoritical

ˌmē-tē-ə-ˈri-ti-kəl 

Examples of meteorite in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Windisch said the meteorite was a little bigger than his hand. —Kierra Frazier, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2026

Doppler weather radar, according to NASA, showed meteorites produced by the fragmentation falling between the Houston suburbs of Willowbrook and Northgate Crossing. —Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026

Cooke said the fireball likely produced some meteorites around Medina County. —Jesse Kirsch, NBC news, 22 Mar. 2026

Planetary defense against near Earth objects is gaining increasing attention these days, as shown by interest in events like the recent crash of a meteorite through someone's roof in Germany and the occasional near-miss of an asteroid flying between the Earth and the moon. —Josh Dinner, Space.com, 17 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1811, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for meteorite

• actinolite
• adipocyte
• amphibolite
• anorthosite
• anthophyllite
• aragonite
• carbonatite
• cassiterite
• cristobalite
• crocidolite
• diatomite
• dithionite

Kids Definition

meteorite

noun

me·​te·​or·​ite ˈmēt-ē-ə-ˌrīt 

: a meteor that reaches the surface of the earth