as in circling
to travel completely around
the moon orbits the Earth
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Recent Examples of orbiting
The discovery history of WISPIT 2 WISPIT 2b was the first infant planet discovered around this infant star, detected last year and determined to have a mass around five times that of Jupiter and orbiting its parent star at a distance equivalent to 60 times the distance between Earth and the sun.
—
Robert Lea, Space.com, 24 Mar. 2026
But despite a lot of space start-ups aiming to build orbiting habitats, no commercial space station has yet materialized, and NASA leadership is losing patience.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 24 Mar. 2026
That included Apollo 9 in March 1969 – during which two astronauts piloted a lunar module in Earth orbit – and Apollo 10 later in May, which was another moon-orbiting mission.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
SpaceX was previously vague about the satellite design for its orbiting data centers.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 23 Mar. 2026
Hidden ocean worlds The new study suggests that moons orbiting rogue exoplanets could sustain habitable conditions for billions of years—despite the absence of any nearby star.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 22 Mar. 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, 22 Mar. 2026
That surprise of illumination, that miraculous, orbiting satellite in the dark, bellowing night.
—Literary Hub, 17 Mar. 2026
Robert Lea, Space.com, 24 Mar. 2026
But despite a lot of space start-ups aiming to build orbiting habitats, no commercial space station has yet materialized, and NASA leadership is losing patience.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 24 Mar. 2026
That included Apollo 9 in March 1969 – during which two astronauts piloted a lunar module in Earth orbit – and Apollo 10 later in May, which was another moon-orbiting mission.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
SpaceX was previously vague about the satellite design for its orbiting data centers.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 23 Mar. 2026
Hidden ocean worlds The new study suggests that moons orbiting rogue exoplanets could sustain habitable conditions for billions of years—despite the absence of any nearby star.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 22 Mar. 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, 22 Mar. 2026
That surprise of illumination, that miraculous, orbiting satellite in the dark, bellowing night.
—Literary Hub, 17 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for orbiting
Verb
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Christian Bale had reportedly been circling the project, which will be directed by Scott Cooper.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
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The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives may be on a production pause, but news circling the series’ cast has not slowed down.—
McKinley Franklin,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The bridge connects Chinatown with Dodger Stadium, traversing the 110.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Mar. 2026
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Her accompanying tour is her longest headline run yet, traversing North America, Europe and the UK.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Our beautiful encircling topography of mountains and hills is a bowl ready-made by ancient plate tectonics to be filled with smoke and smog.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
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The rooms Spread over a handful of buildings encircling the central courtyard, Aleenta Retreat's 44 rooms range from spacious deluxe rooms with lounge-y balconies to two-story residences with two bedrooms and a small private courtyard with a plunge pool.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Orbiting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/orbiting. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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