as in circling
to travel completely around
the moon orbits the Earth
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Recent Examples of orbiting
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
While the payload fairing that protected the lander before deployment reentered Earth’s atmosphere, the upper stage kept orbiting the Earth without ever reentering and burning up, Gray wrote.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 4 May 2026
The Pace exhibition also included photographs of unidentified objects orbiting Earth and kite-like sculptures resembling military satellites designed to confuse enemy radars.
—Louis Bury, ARTnews.com, 1 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
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, 1 May 2026
Outside, the setup is just as layered—a cabana, fire pit, BBQ, and dining area orbiting the pool, with extras like giant Jenga folded in.
—Kristine Hansen, Architectural Digest, 30 Apr. 2026
From left, Jeremy Hansen, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Reid Wiseman, the Artemis II crew, speak during a press conference following their mission orbiting the moon, in Houston, April 16, 2026.
—Emily McLeod, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026
However, the Starlink integration means the collars can connect using SpaceX's orbiting satellites; no need to install the radio towers.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 29 Apr. 2026
Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 6 May 2026
While the payload fairing that protected the lander before deployment reentered Earth’s atmosphere, the upper stage kept orbiting the Earth without ever reentering and burning up, Gray wrote.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 4 May 2026
The Pace exhibition also included photographs of unidentified objects orbiting Earth and kite-like sculptures resembling military satellites designed to confuse enemy radars.
—Louis Bury, ARTnews.com, 1 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
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, 1 May 2026
Outside, the setup is just as layered—a cabana, fire pit, BBQ, and dining area orbiting the pool, with extras like giant Jenga folded in.
—Kristine Hansen, Architectural Digest, 30 Apr. 2026
From left, Jeremy Hansen, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Reid Wiseman, the Artemis II crew, speak during a press conference following their mission orbiting the moon, in Houston, April 16, 2026.
—Emily McLeod, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026
However, the Starlink integration means the collars can connect using SpaceX's orbiting satellites; no need to install the radio towers.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 29 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for orbiting
Verb
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Per the logline, in Season 2 the Dars are drowning in dirty cash and Philly’s sketchiest crooks are circling.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
6 May 2026
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Other carriers, smelling blood, had been circling for nearly a year if not longer, and within hours of the airline's collapse were scrambling to both fly ticketed Spirit customers and add to their schedules in the absence left by Spirit's yellow planes.—
Leslie Josephs,
CNBC,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Experts feared that Asian economies — which imported 90% of the oil traversing through the Strait of Hormuz before the war — could be devastated by a prolonged disruption to Gulf crude production.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
30 Apr. 2026
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And Just Like That, including designer clothing, Manhattan-traversing stilettos, kitschy furniture, and memorabilia from Big’s death.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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Curve around the city on the Trout Run Trail, an 11-mile asphalt loop encircling the historic downtown.—
Sarah Miller,
Midwest Living,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Orbiting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/orbiting. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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