as in circling
to travel completely around
the moon orbits the Earth
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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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
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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
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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
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Again, his narration for the eight-part series, which used captivating cinematography and told dramatic stories of animals traversing the natural world, won an Emmy.—
Amarachi Orie,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
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After recuperating from burns to his hands and face suffered in the crash, Morris went back to meet his wife in France, and eventually made their way in July back to Homewood, traversing the Atlantic this time by steamer.—
Paul Eisenberg,
Chicago Tribune,
6 May 2026
Verb
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The upper features criss-crossing straps across the toes and skinner straps encircling the ankle.—
Renan Botelho,
Footwear News,
4 May 2026
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Existing storage facilities within Beijing’s Sixth Ring Road—an encircling expressway about 15 to 20 miles from the city center—are limited to storing a maximum of three drones or 10 core components while also being required to undergo police inspections.—
Jeremy Hsu,
ArsTechnica,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Orbiting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/orbiting. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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