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

Although the small Barracuda hypersonic suborbital rocket is capable of reaching 100 km, this rocket did not do so due to an anomaly in the later stages of its flight. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 12 June 2026

The rocket-free reusable launch opens path to affordable, repeatable and scalable hypersonic and suborbital missions. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 7 June 2026

SpaceX’s Starship will eventually double that power, but has to date only performed suborbital test missions. — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 June 2026

Virgin Galactic said in a May 28 press release the flight will be used to study the menstrual cycle beyond Earth in suborbital space. — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 3 June 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