as in circling
to travel completely around
the moon orbits the Earth
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Recent Examples of orbiting
The mission spent more than 11 years orbiting Mars and studying its upper atmosphere.
—
Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 June 2026
Scientists believe that one of the planetary nebula’s two orbiting stars — once bigger than our sun — gave up the ghost.
—Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026
These allies aim to launch twin prototype satellites early next year to test their models and the deployment of super-speed inter-satellite links for an orbiting machine learning lab.
—Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
This is the first spaceflight for Cardman and Platonov, the fourth trip for Fincke, and the second for Yui, to the orbiting laboratory.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 May 2026
One of the three astronauts on the Shenzhou 23 mission is scheduled to stay at the orbiting space station for a year in what would be among the world’s longest single stays in space.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026
For perspective, SpaceX’s Starlink began serving its first US customers in late 2020 using about 800 orbiting satellites.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 29 May 2026
In its time orbiting Earth, Hubble has shaped our understanding of the universe by observing the atmospheric composition of planets around other stars and even discovering dark energy – a mysterious force that causes the universe to expand.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 28 May 2026
The Chang'e-7 mission will include orbiting, landing, roving, and a lunar hopper to study the environment and resources of the lunar south pole, while also carrying out international cooperation, said Zhang.
—Leonard David, Space.com, 27 May 2026
Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 June 2026
Scientists believe that one of the planetary nebula’s two orbiting stars — once bigger than our sun — gave up the ghost.
—Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026
These allies aim to launch twin prototype satellites early next year to test their models and the deployment of super-speed inter-satellite links for an orbiting machine learning lab.
—Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
This is the first spaceflight for Cardman and Platonov, the fourth trip for Fincke, and the second for Yui, to the orbiting laboratory.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 May 2026
One of the three astronauts on the Shenzhou 23 mission is scheduled to stay at the orbiting space station for a year in what would be among the world’s longest single stays in space.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026
For perspective, SpaceX’s Starlink began serving its first US customers in late 2020 using about 800 orbiting satellites.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 29 May 2026
In its time orbiting Earth, Hubble has shaped our understanding of the universe by observing the atmospheric composition of planets around other stars and even discovering dark energy – a mysterious force that causes the universe to expand.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 28 May 2026
The Chang'e-7 mission will include orbiting, landing, roving, and a lunar hopper to study the environment and resources of the lunar south pole, while also carrying out international cooperation, said Zhang.
—Leonard David, Space.com, 27 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for orbiting
Verb
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Decades after Julian’s vanishing there, the band and various hangers-on recall eerie incidents both in and out of the house—rooms full of occult literature; pub full of haunting photographs—as well as the glimmering stranger circling the Orpheus-esque Julian.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
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Plates of spicy edamame, beautifully cut sashimi and nigiri, panko-coated shrimp, and cooked-to-perfection sirloin and broccolini are all worth circling on the menu for future reference, as are the delicate strawberry and cheesecake mochi that round the sitting off.—
Lauren Keith,
Robb Report,
30 May 2026
Verb
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On the Iron Horse Regional Trail traversing Contra Costa and Alameda counties, the whir of electric bikes has become part of the summer soundtrack.—
Maddie White,
CBS News,
26 May 2026
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Over 65 hours The longest Amtrak train route is the Texas Eagle, which runs between Chicago and Los Angeles with a long leg spent traversing Texas (hence the name).—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
23 May 2026
Verb
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Styled by Brad Goreski, Moore wore a custom cobalt blue Self Portrait gown with an oversized bow encircling the hips, falling into a train.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
22 May 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Orbiting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/orbiting. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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