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

Because yet another suborbital flight on New Shepard matters little in the long arc of spaceflight history. —ArsTechnica, 18 Apr. 2025

Perry, along with a team of all-female celebrities including TV personality Gayle King, were launched into suborbital space for an 11-minute flight that ended safely in Texas. —Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 15 Apr. 2025

The namesake for Blue Origin's New Shepard launch system, Alan Shepard, was the first American in space and the first person to complete a suborbital spaceflight. —Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 14 Apr. 2025

The flight, set for today, will take the crew on a suborbital journey lasting around 10 minutes, quicker than most people's morning commute. —Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025

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