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

The Starship craft will ignite its own engines, continuing on a suborbital trajectory. —Jackie Wattles, CNN, 3 Mar. 2025

Named after astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American in space, New Shepard is Blue Origin’s fully reusable,suborbital rocket system. —Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2025

In a post-launch press conference on Monday, Bowe drew parallels between the suborbital trajectory of her Blue Origin mission to that of the first American in space, Alan Shepard, for whom Blue Origin's New Shepard vehicle is named. —Josh Dinner, Space.com, 15 Apr. 2025

Blue Origin launched its New Shepard suborbital rocket system into space on April 14th carrying a famous group of passengers into space. —Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 15 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