suborbital

adjective

sub·​or·​bit·​al ˌsəb-ˈȯr-bə-tᵊl 

1

: situated beneath the eye or the orbit of the eye

2

: being or involving less than one orbit (as of the earth or moon)

also : intended for suborbital flight

Examples of suborbital in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These are short suborbital trips that last about 90 minutes. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 8 Apr. 2026

In 2021 Isaacman helped bankroll and then lead Inspiration4, the first all-civilian mission to reach orbit in SpaceX’s Dragon spaceship, flying higher than the suborbital space flights of Bezos’s Blue Origin and Branson’s Virgin Galactic that same year. —Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2026

On the suborbital science mission, Gerardi conducted biomedical and thermodynamic fluid research. —Sari Hitchins, Parents, 7 Apr. 2026

Alan Shepard was the first American to view Earth from space in 1961 from the Freedom 7 Mercury Capsule during a 15-minute suborbital flight. —Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1803, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for suborbital

• infraorbital
• postorbital
• interorbital
• periorbital
• supraorbital
• orbital

Medical Definition

suborbital

adjective

sub·​or·​bit·​al ˌsəb-ˈȯr-bət-ᵊl 

: situated or occurring beneath the eye or the orbit of the eye

suborbital fat