as in circling
to travel completely around
the moon orbits the Earth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of orbiting
There are several ancient clusters of stars called the Ultra-Faint Dwarf galaxies orbiting the Milky Way.
—
Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 13 May 2026
Purchasing enough orbiting interceptors to destroy roughly 10 incoming ballistic missiles would cost about $720 billion, the CBO estimates.
—Nik Popli, Time, 12 May 2026
In 2022, similar detection work resulted in NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, which slammed the DART spacecraft into the small asteroid Dimorphos orbiting the larger asteroid Didymos, changing the orbits of both child and parent around the sun.
—New Atlas, 10 May 2026
The system contains a black hole and a massive blue supergiant star orbiting each other.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 10 May 2026
The Earth-orbiting Gemini VII mission in 1965 was NASA's 10th-ever crewed spaceflight.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 8 May 2026
Planets orbiting brighter stars are easier to spot because the transits are clearer.
—Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 8 May 2026
As companies compete for available land on earth and face criticism from neighbors who don’t want to live near data centers, orbiting tech stands to benefit from the absence of neighbors, endless solar power, and cold temperatures that GPUs need.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 6 May 2026
But space is vast and deep, and there’s a very, very long way to go to visit even the other planets orbiting our sun, let alone those around other stars.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 1 May 2026
Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 13 May 2026
Purchasing enough orbiting interceptors to destroy roughly 10 incoming ballistic missiles would cost about $720 billion, the CBO estimates.
—Nik Popli, Time, 12 May 2026
In 2022, similar detection work resulted in NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, which slammed the DART spacecraft into the small asteroid Dimorphos orbiting the larger asteroid Didymos, changing the orbits of both child and parent around the sun.
—New Atlas, 10 May 2026
The system contains a black hole and a massive blue supergiant star orbiting each other.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 10 May 2026
The Earth-orbiting Gemini VII mission in 1965 was NASA's 10th-ever crewed spaceflight.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 8 May 2026
Planets orbiting brighter stars are easier to spot because the transits are clearer.
—Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 8 May 2026
As companies compete for available land on earth and face criticism from neighbors who don’t want to live near data centers, orbiting tech stands to benefit from the absence of neighbors, endless solar power, and cold temperatures that GPUs need.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 6 May 2026
But space is vast and deep, and there’s a very, very long way to go to visit even the other planets orbiting our sun, let alone those around other stars.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 1 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for orbiting
Verb
-
Given rumors were circling that José Mourinho was on his way back to manage the team next season, some assumed Pérez would be addressing that, looking to steady the ship after a torrid few months in the Spanish capital.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
13 May 2026
-
So none of the negative press circling around him manifested as a problem in your working relationship?—
Zak Cheney-Rice,
Vulture,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
By traversing sonic ground across its 10 tracks that transports listeners from the open expanses of Montana to the Mississippi Hill Country, Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen effectively weave a tapestry that knits together a throughline between foundational Americana genres.—
Chris Barilla,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
-
The 49ers’ travel miles for the 2026 regular season amount to 38,105 air miles, the most ever according to sports betting analyst Bill Speros, as well as traversing 58 time zones, breaking the previous record of 42.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Bad weather postponed a major construction project on Atlanta's primary highway encircling the city last weekend, but now the traffic chaos is here.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
-
By using drones to interdict supply lines from a distance, Ukrainian forces can impose the effects of a siege without physically encircling a city, redefining how an opponent can be isolated in modern warfare.—
Vikram Mittal,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Orbiting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/orbiting. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
