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

There are also boulder-size chunks of moon rocks and meteorites that crash-landed on Earth that children can touch and smell. —John Arlidge, Travel + Leisure, 7 Feb. 2026

What little survives in the form of meteorites is often impossible to locate and collect. —Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026

Moscow — Russian investigators have prevented a giant meteorite fragment being smuggled to Britain disguised as a garden ornament, the Federal Customs Service reported Thursday. —CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026

Astronomers have detected simple organic molecules drifting through interstellar clouds and preserved in meteorites and comets, indicating that biologically important compounds can form in space and be delivered to planetary surfaces. —Victoria Corless, Space.com, 28 Jan. 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