as in circles
to travel completely around
the moon orbits the Earth
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Recent Examples of orbits
IEEE Spectrum, 21 Jan. 2026
The plan represents a departure for Europe’s top satellite makers, which have traditionally focused on large, complex spacecraft in high orbits, but the industry has been disrupted by Starlink’s small, relatively cheap, low-orbit machines.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 24 Oct. 2025
If a planet orbits close to its star in an elliptical orbit, then its interior will stretch and squeeze as the gravitational strength of the star changes.
—Paul Sutter, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 Mar. 2026
Abigail is the one who clearly thrills to performance; Shaun consistently orbits her sun, giving the impression of the bearded and bespectacled multi-instrumentalist who’d be happy jamming on the sidelines.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 17 Mar. 2026
About 15% of near-Earth asteroids are estimated to be binary systems, in which a smaller asteroid orbits a larger companion.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 11 Mar. 2026
At just 530 feet in diameter, Dimorphos is a moonlet asteroid that orbits the larger 2,560-foot Didymos.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
This pattern repeats year after year, as the Earth orbits the Sun.
—Vahe Peroomian, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2026
As the exomoon orbits its host, its gravity swings the planet around their common center of gravity, called the barycenter.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 27 Feb. 2026
Starlink orbits the Earth at about 550 kilometers, and covers the entire globe, cutting the latency time (the data time between the user and satellite) down to around 25 milliseconds, according to its website.
—Dallas Morning News, Boston Herald, 21 Feb. 2026
An asteroid is a small, rocky object that orbits the sun, according to NASA.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 19 Feb. 2026
Noun
Canadian and American researchers simulated satellite orbits in low Earth orbit and generated a metric, the CRASH Clock, that measures the number of days before collisions start happening if collision-avoidance maneuvers stop.
—IEEE Spectrum, 21 Jan. 2026
The plan represents a departure for Europe’s top satellite makers, which have traditionally focused on large, complex spacecraft in high orbits, but the industry has been disrupted by Starlink’s small, relatively cheap, low-orbit machines.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 24 Oct. 2025
If a planet orbits close to its star in an elliptical orbit, then its interior will stretch and squeeze as the gravitational strength of the star changes.
—Paul Sutter, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
Psyche is a nickel-iron core asteroid that orbits the sun beyond Mars anywhere from 235 million to 309 million miles away.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 Mar. 2026
Abigail is the one who clearly thrills to performance; Shaun consistently orbits her sun, giving the impression of the bearded and bespectacled multi-instrumentalist who’d be happy jamming on the sidelines.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 17 Mar. 2026
About 15% of near-Earth asteroids are estimated to be binary systems, in which a smaller asteroid orbits a larger companion.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 11 Mar. 2026
At just 530 feet in diameter, Dimorphos is a moonlet asteroid that orbits the larger 2,560-foot Didymos.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
This pattern repeats year after year, as the Earth orbits the Sun.
—Vahe Peroomian, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2026
As the exomoon orbits its host, its gravity swings the planet around their common center of gravity, called the barycenter.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 27 Feb. 2026
Starlink orbits the Earth at about 550 kilometers, and covers the entire globe, cutting the latency time (the data time between the user and satellite) down to around 25 milliseconds, according to its website.
—Dallas Morning News, Boston Herald, 21 Feb. 2026
An asteroid is a small, rocky object that orbits the sun, according to NASA.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 19 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for orbits
Noun
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The thumb loops helped keep the sleeves anchored and prevented the shirt from riding up during swimming and mobility drills.—
Joe Jackson,
Outside,
16 Mar. 2026
-
The report also cites xAI co-founder Jimmy Ba, who suggests recursive self-improvement loops—where AI autonomously upgrades its own capabilities—could emerge as early as the first half of 2027.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Anthony Arceneaux, who owns the spot with his wife, Jennifer, circles the room in a white cowboy hat, shaking hands like a Presidential candidate.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Amazomania really circles around that.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Then, looking at the amp rating of your circuits (most laundry appliances require a 15–30 amp circuit).—
Lauren Bengtson,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Running daily between the two cities, the train traverses 381 miles in about 11 hours.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
-
As Mesidor traverses the field at Bommarito Performance Systems in Aventura, there’s a part of him that wants to be alongside everyone else who does wind sprints in preparation for their 40s.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
As technology, sustainability and consumer demand impacts the industry, a greater number of unique and innovative career paths have emerged and opened doors for people with a wide range of skills.—
Metro Creative Services,
Boston Herald,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Their paths cross again when Cory accidentally hits Donny’s bicycle with his car and, as penance, agrees to drive him around town for a week to do errands.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Vlad Tenev, chairman and CEO of Robinhood Markets, rings the Opening Bell with Robinhood Ventures Fund I at the New York Stock Exchange on March 6, 2026.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Cala Pregonda, Menorca Just an island over from the tourist-trodden Mallorca, Menorca feels a world away—a sentiment that rings even more true in the north of the island.—
Catherine Tansey,
Condé Nast Traveler,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Just as the two relationships are marked by different trajectories, Diana and Camilla’s engagement rings couldn’t be more different.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Mendoza can throw fade passes with different trajectories.—
Ted Nguyen,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Together, these discoveries suggested that NGC 6302 might be an ideal natural laboratory for exploring the chemical pathways that occur as stars reach the end of their lives.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Treatment access has strengthened, including diversion pathways such as Drug Court.—
Maria Hernandez,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Orbits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/orbits. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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