meteoroid

noun

me·​te·​or·​oid ˈmē-tē-ə-ˌrȯid 

1

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

2

: a meteor in orbit around the sun

meteoroidal

ˌmē-tē-ə-ˈrȯi-dᵊl 

adjective

Examples of meteoroid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The two showers are essentially one and the same; Earth intersects a single, broad stream of meteoroids at two places in its orbit on opposite sides of the sun. —Joe Rao, Space.com, 17 Oct. 2025

If meteoroids survive their trip to Earth without burning up in the atmosphere, they are called meteorites, NASA says. —Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 17 Oct. 2025

As the trailer shows, all hell breaks loose — both on the spacecraft and back on earth, where meteoroids or debris rain down all over Los Angeles. —Patrick Gomez, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Oct. 2025

It's believed that the five-year periodicity is caused by the meteoroids being trapped in a resonance with Jupiter. —Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1865, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for meteoroid

• albuminoid
• arytenoid
• cannabinoid
• carotenoid
• epidermoid
• epithelioid
• paraboloid
• subarachnoid
• underemployed
• adenoid
• alkaloid
• amoeboid

Kids Definition

meteoroid

noun

me·​te·​or·​oid ˈmēt-ē-ə-ˌrȯid 

: a meteor revolving around the sun