as in circling
to travel completely around
the moon orbits the Earth
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Recent Examples of orbiting
Astronomers have so far cataloged about 6,000 planets orbiting nearby stars, noted Nicola Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, at the news event.
—
Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 22 Apr. 2026
The satellite was supposed to join AST SpaceMobile’s orbiting network of satellites designed to provide direct space-to-smart phone service.
—Marcia Dunn, Fortune, 20 Apr. 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, 19 Apr. 2026
Physicists at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics used muonic hydrogen, replacing the electron orbiting the nucleus with a muon, the electron’s heavier (and very short-lived) sibling.
—ArsTechnica, 14 Apr. 2026
Due to orbital mechanics reasons, the crucial translunar injection burn had to happen about when the crew was a dizzying 115 miles (185 km) above Earth, less than half the altitude of the orbiting ISS.
—Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 14 Apr. 2026
Still, astronomers and space experts have been scrutinizing SpaceX's plans, which include a proposal to launch a constellation of up to 1 million satellites for orbiting data centers.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 14 Apr. 2026
Most notably, the agency scrapped long-standing plans to build a space station orbiting the moon, called Gateway.
—Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
What feels inevitable now was once just three kids from Brownsville orbiting the same blocks.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 22 Apr. 2026
The satellite was supposed to join AST SpaceMobile’s orbiting network of satellites designed to provide direct space-to-smart phone service.
—Marcia Dunn, Fortune, 20 Apr. 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, 19 Apr. 2026
Physicists at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics used muonic hydrogen, replacing the electron orbiting the nucleus with a muon, the electron’s heavier (and very short-lived) sibling.
—ArsTechnica, 14 Apr. 2026
Due to orbital mechanics reasons, the crucial translunar injection burn had to happen about when the crew was a dizzying 115 miles (185 km) above Earth, less than half the altitude of the orbiting ISS.
—Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 14 Apr. 2026
Still, astronomers and space experts have been scrutinizing SpaceX's plans, which include a proposal to launch a constellation of up to 1 million satellites for orbiting data centers.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 14 Apr. 2026
Most notably, the agency scrapped long-standing plans to build a space station orbiting the moon, called Gateway.
—Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
What feels inevitable now was once just three kids from Brownsville orbiting the same blocks.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for orbiting
Verb
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News of his involvement comes following our story yesterday on McCarthy circling the project.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
22 Apr. 2026
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Harris spent the morning circling the block waiting for news.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Soon, Callaghan — alongside Nic Mosher and Evan Gilbert-Katz — was traversing the country in a shabby RV, documenting the surreal, perturbing and often hilarious fringes of American culture.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Apr. 2026
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Imagine in the small areas of our nervous system, 84 billion cells, each connecting with thousands of others, some traversing these long areas across our brain, crossing over down to the spinal cord, and reaching its appropriate target.—
Marcy Thompson,
Scientific American,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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If your houseplant was severely pot-bound with encircling roots, trim the overgrown roots back by one-third.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
12 Apr. 2026
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In recent years, Beijing has stepped up military drills near Taiwan, even encircling the island by land, air and sea last year.—
Ashish Valentine,
NPR,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Orbiting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/orbiting. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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