solar system

noun

Definition of solar system

: the sun together with the group of celestial bodies that are held by its attraction and revolve around it also : a similar system centered on another star

Examples of solar system in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Astronomers have confirmed more than 800 planets beyond our own solar system, and the discoveries keep rolling in. — Mike Wall, Space.com, "NASA's Kepler Planet-Hunting Space Telescope Wakes Up Again," 13 Oct. 2018 Astronomers use the orbiting observatory to peer deep into the cosmos, revealing faraway solar systems as well as galaxies and black holes. — Marcia Dunn, The Seattle Times, "Hubble Space Telescope sidelined by serious pointing failure," 8 Oct. 2018 Their goal: to retrieve samples that may contain organic materials dating back to the solar system’s birth. — Jeremy Hsu, Scientific American, "Japan’s Hayabusa2 Spacecraft Nears Its Target, the Asteroid Ryugu," 26 June 2018 Humanity has been confined to the solar system up to this point. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "Now is the perfect time to start watching The Expanse," 24 May 2018 Under strobe lights and a solar system of disco balls, Patti Hansen closed this morning’s Michael Kors show turned disco at Cipriani in the Financial District. — Lauren Valenti, Vogue, "Supermodel Patti Hansen Just Had an Ageless Beauty Moment at Michael Kors," 13 Feb. 2019 Is our eight-planet solar system typical, or an outlier? — Andrew Moseman, Popular Mechanics, "Kepler's Last Light, and Its Towering Legacy," 8 Feb. 2019 Hayabusa 2 is scheduled to attempt three brief touch-and-go landings on the asteroid to collect samples in hopes of providing clues to the origin of the solar system and life on Earth. — James Rogers, Fox News, "Asteroid rovers send back stunning new pictures of space rock's surface," 27 Sep. 2018 Oumuamua’s path makes sense only if some extra force—in addition to the gravity of the sun, planets, and other large solar system bodies—is giving it a push. — Matt Warren, Science | AAAS, "Mysterious interstellar visitor is a comet, flight path reveals," 27 June 2018

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