Thesaurus results for ORBITING

orbiting

verb

present participle of orbit

as in circling

to travel completely around the moon orbits the Earth

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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 That changed in 2013, when a small, dark body orbiting between Saturn and Uranus passed in front of a star and blinked twice on either side of the main event, revealing two narrow rings around an object barely 250 kilometers across. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 19 Sep. 2026 Naturally, the night called for not one, not two, but three major looks, all orbiting a palette of fall neutrals. — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 19 Sep. 2026 The company has told the Federal Communications Commission that some debris from a disposed orbiting data center could survive and land on the Earth, but expects the fragments to be harmless. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 18 Sep. 2026 For decades, astronomers studying the surroundings of the Milky Way have determined there are too few dwarf satellite galaxies orbiting our own galaxy when compared to predictions made by the standard model of cosmology. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 17 Sep. 2026 Transits favor planets orbiting close to their stars, particularly large planets that block more starlight and complete their orbits frequently. — Thomas Fauchez, The Conversation, 14 Sep. 2026 The early days of our solar system were chaotic, marked by violent interactions as a multitude of space rocks orbiting the sun crashed into other objects. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for orbiting

Verb

An exclusive excerpt published by Decibel centers on Cave In and the period surrounding the band’s breakthrough Jupiter, when major labels began circling.

— SPIN Staff, SPIN, 18 Sep. 2026
This usually begins with the wasp cautiously circling its target while slowly getting closer.

— Sean Donnelly, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of circling

Verb

The production’s adventurousness, traversing every corner of Brad Bentz’s scenic design, can have a diffuse effect.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
People were part of Pleistocene history, adapting to the colder climates in the north and traversing the unglaciated regions to the south of the glacial margins.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of traversing

Verb

Dumas watched, charmed, his arms encircling his wife’s shoulders, and accepted an ice-cream sundae in a silver parfait cup.

— Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
There are no bleachers, so spectators set up lawn chairs encircling the field.

— Kelenna Onukwugha, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of encircling

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orbited

orbiting

orbits

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“Orbiting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/orbiting. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of orbiting

verb

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