as in circling
to travel completely around
the moon orbits the Earth
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Recent Examples of orbiting
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, 17 Oct. 2025
The material very close to the black hole is orbiting at speeds approaching that of light, but farther out, the material is moving much more slowly.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2025
The 2026 budget proposal would specifically see 41 science projects cancelled — a third of NASA's science portfolio, according to the Planetary Society — including the Mars Sample Return program and the Jupiter-orbiting Juno probe.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2025
The issue doesn’t affect SpaceX's Starlink, but data sent to higher orbiting geostationary satellites, which can also provide communications to mobile carriers, commercial buildings, and government users in remote and rural areas.
—PC Magazine, 14 Oct. 2025
Test satellite launch in 2026 Reflect Orbital’s vision involves orbiting mirrors reflecting sunlight down to specific locations on Earth.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2025
Once there, the Orion spacecraft will link up with the Starship lander, docking while orbiting above the moon’s surface.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 12 Oct. 2025
Our Earth, solar system, sun and billions of other stars, along with who knows how many other planets, are all orbiting around our home Milky Way Galaxy.
—Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 12 Oct. 2025
And while all of Jupiter’s very massive moons orbit within <1° of Jupiter’s rotation axis, Saturn has notable exceptions, with Iapetus — its second most-massive moon — orbiting more than 15° out of its rotational plane.
—Big Think, 9 Oct. 2025
Eric Lagatta, AZCentral.com, 17 Oct. 2025
The material very close to the black hole is orbiting at speeds approaching that of light, but farther out, the material is moving much more slowly.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2025
The 2026 budget proposal would specifically see 41 science projects cancelled — a third of NASA's science portfolio, according to the Planetary Society — including the Mars Sample Return program and the Jupiter-orbiting Juno probe.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2025
The issue doesn’t affect SpaceX's Starlink, but data sent to higher orbiting geostationary satellites, which can also provide communications to mobile carriers, commercial buildings, and government users in remote and rural areas.
—PC Magazine, 14 Oct. 2025
Test satellite launch in 2026 Reflect Orbital’s vision involves orbiting mirrors reflecting sunlight down to specific locations on Earth.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2025
Once there, the Orion spacecraft will link up with the Starship lander, docking while orbiting above the moon’s surface.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 12 Oct. 2025
Our Earth, solar system, sun and billions of other stars, along with who knows how many other planets, are all orbiting around our home Milky Way Galaxy.
—Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 12 Oct. 2025
And while all of Jupiter’s very massive moons orbit within <1° of Jupiter’s rotation axis, Saturn has notable exceptions, with Iapetus — its second most-massive moon — orbiting more than 15° out of its rotational plane.
—Big Think, 9 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for orbiting
Verb
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Before a lunar landing mission is attempted, NASA is planning to launch four astronauts on its Artemis II mission in 2026 on a 10-day mission circling the moon.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
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Ellison has been circling WBD since early September, having made his intentions known about a month after the completion of the $8 billion Skydance-Paramount merger.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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For astronauts belonging to the European Space Agency, traversing underground caves can be a helpful simulation for the challenges of space exploration.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
14 Oct. 2025
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The obliteration of both Iran’s nuclear facilities and the foreign terrorist cartels traversing the Gulf of America are clear evidence of the president's success.—
Brian Mast,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The vents encircling the stand’s rounded top handle cooling.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
15 Oct. 2025
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By the early 19th century, scientists had begun to recognize a belt of volcanic activity encircling the Pacific Ocean.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Orbiting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/orbiting. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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