as in circling
to travel completely around
the moon orbits the Earth
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Recent Examples of orbiting
This does not prevent the sports-media ecosystem from orbiting around prediction-making, an obsession that has only ballooned in the age of legal sports betting.
—
Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2026
While most satellite internet services operate from single geostationary satellites orbiting Earth at about 22,236 miles, Starlink is a constellation of thousands of satellites that operate from a low-Earth orbit, about 341 miles up.
—Eric Lagatta, AZCentral.com, 28 Jan. 2026
The International Space Station has been orbiting Earth for two decades, becoming an iconic cosmic landmark where astronauts have helped establish humanity's constant presence among the stars.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
The first operational batch of satellites, launched atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) in 2025, are orbiting Earth at an altitude of 391 miles (630 kilometers).
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 26 Jan. 2026
The Rhodes-Fatu no contest, capped by McIntyre laying out both men, keeps Cody out of the title match but tightly orbiting Drew and Fatu.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
These winds of gaseous metals, including iron and calcium, were mapped in three-dimensions, marking the first time astronomers have measured the internal gas motions of a disk orbiting a secondary object such as a planet or low-mass star.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Half of the spacecraft orbiting Earth were impacted, causing disruptions to GPS, radio communication and satellite TV.
—Addy Bink, The Hill, 20 Jan. 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 Jan. 2026
Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2026
While most satellite internet services operate from single geostationary satellites orbiting Earth at about 22,236 miles, Starlink is a constellation of thousands of satellites that operate from a low-Earth orbit, about 341 miles up.
—Eric Lagatta, AZCentral.com, 28 Jan. 2026
The International Space Station has been orbiting Earth for two decades, becoming an iconic cosmic landmark where astronauts have helped establish humanity's constant presence among the stars.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
The first operational batch of satellites, launched atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) in 2025, are orbiting Earth at an altitude of 391 miles (630 kilometers).
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 26 Jan. 2026
The Rhodes-Fatu no contest, capped by McIntyre laying out both men, keeps Cody out of the title match but tightly orbiting Drew and Fatu.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
These winds of gaseous metals, including iron and calcium, were mapped in three-dimensions, marking the first time astronomers have measured the internal gas motions of a disk orbiting a secondary object such as a planet or low-mass star.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Half of the spacecraft orbiting Earth were impacted, causing disruptions to GPS, radio communication and satellite TV.
—Addy Bink, The Hill, 20 Jan. 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 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for orbiting
Verb
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The investigation revealed the controller, distracted by a third plane circling the airport, delayed clearing the SkyWest flight for takeoff and failed to monitor the runway and airspace adequately.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
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As soon as Robinson snapped the blade in, Khusnutdinov jumped onto the ice and joined the weave in the offensive zone, dropping the puck for the circling Pastrnak, who then executed the pretty give-and-go with McAvoy for the winner.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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That means Gemini can reason about complex queries by traversing the graph's actual relationship nodes, not just keyword matching.—
Joe Toscano,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
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Once complete, the Etihad Rail network will run over 900 kilometers, connecting 11 cities across all seven emirates, traversing desert and mountains, and connecting coasts.—
CNT Editors,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The original Imperial Hotel, an icon of the encircling Ginza neighborhood, was constructed in 1923 by Frank Lloyd Wright.—
Brad Japhe,
Forbes.com,
17 Jan. 2026
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The silhouette also included a slender strap encircling the ankle.—
Jaden Thompson,
Footwear News,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Orbiting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/orbiting. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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