meteoroid

noun

me·te·or·oid ˈmē-tē-ə-ˌrȯid

: a meteor particle itself without relation to the phenomena it produces when entering the earth's atmosphere

: a meteor in orbit around the sun

meteoroidal

ˌmē-tē-ə-ˈrȯi-dᵊl

adjective

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Astronomers then confirmed the meteoroid was poised to hit Earth in France in the early morning local time. —

PCMAG, 13 Feb. 2023 The meteoroid was about two feet in diameter, NASA estimates. —

Caitlin O'kane, CBS News, 21 Feb. 2023 The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter then flew over the site to confirm where the meteoroid landed, spotting three darkened areas. —

Ashley Strickland, CNN, 19 Sep. 2022 Asteroids are larger than 3.2 feet in diameter, while anything smaller would be a meteoroid and could from a comet or asteroid. —

Kimberly Miller, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2021 Fortunately, the object was only about 1 meter (3.3 feet) in size, resulting in the meteoroid burning up in the atmosphere. —

PCMAG, 13 Feb. 2023 Most of the heating is due to the meteoroid's hypersonic passage through air, which compresses the gas, heating it up violently. —

Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 2 Oct. 2011 Not long after this, the meteoroid broke apart, raining down small meteorites onto the ground which were later found spread over the countryside . —

Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 31 May 2012 Jose Maria Madiedo of the University of Huelva and his colleagues estimate the meteoroid was about the mass of a small car and was traveling at 38,000 miles per hour (61,000 km/hour). —

Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 24 Feb. 2014 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'meteoroid.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.