as in circles
to travel completely around
the moon orbits the Earth
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Recent Examples of orbits
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
Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Everything within the solar wind is inside the Sun’s extended atmosphere, known as the heliosphere, which means that, in a sense, Earth orbits through the Sun itself.
—Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
That's because of how the moon orbits our planet.
—Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 24 Oct. 2025
That's because of how the moon orbits our planet.
—John Tufts, IndyStar, 23 Oct. 2025
Out beyond the orbit of Triton, which orbits Neptune in a little under 6 days, the other Neptunian moons have their orbital periods measured in years, and appear at a wide variety of angles and with large eccentricities.
—Big Think, 9 Oct. 2025
The sun orbits all signs of the zodiac in a calendar year.
—Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2025
In 1995, a gas giant known as 51 Pegasi b, which orbits a star similar to Earth's sun, etched its name in cosmic history as the first exoplanet ever discovered.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2025
It’a a line of sight phenomenon — Earth’s view of the planet waxes and wanes as Saturn orbits the sun every 29 years.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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
Noun
Venus orbits the sun in just 225 days, a shorter duration than its rotation.
—Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Everything within the solar wind is inside the Sun’s extended atmosphere, known as the heliosphere, which means that, in a sense, Earth orbits through the Sun itself.
—Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
That's because of how the moon orbits our planet.
—Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 24 Oct. 2025
That's because of how the moon orbits our planet.
—John Tufts, IndyStar, 23 Oct. 2025
Out beyond the orbit of Triton, which orbits Neptune in a little under 6 days, the other Neptunian moons have their orbital periods measured in years, and appear at a wide variety of angles and with large eccentricities.
—Big Think, 9 Oct. 2025
The sun orbits all signs of the zodiac in a calendar year.
—Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2025
In 1995, a gas giant known as 51 Pegasi b, which orbits a star similar to Earth's sun, etched its name in cosmic history as the first exoplanet ever discovered.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2025
It’a a line of sight phenomenon — Earth’s view of the planet waxes and wanes as Saturn orbits the sun every 29 years.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for orbits
Verb
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Gentleman thief Sir Charles Lytton (David Niven) circles the prize while Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Peter Sellers) bungles the pursuit with sublime obliviousness.—
Lilah Ramzi,
Vogue,
25 Oct. 2025
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The menu at the motel’s restaurant, ISH Kitchen, circles the globe from Mediterranean shawarma to Japanese ramen to a Vietnamese dish of marinated ground beef wrapped in kaffir lime leaves.—
Melanie Haiken,
Outside,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Charged particles originating from the corona surge into the gap but are soon snared by two great magnetic loops—the Van Allen Radiation Belts—that usually keep them from Earth’s surface.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
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That's how solar rain forms in loops that are suddenly heated, like during flares.—
Pranjal Malewar,
New Atlas,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Not only is the light spooky, but the three-hour tour traverses large rooms where the tuberculosis clinic was housed.—
Graham Averill,
Outside,
28 Oct. 2025
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The Ski Utah Interconnect Tour traverses a mountain range with stops in Solitude, Alta, and Deer Valley.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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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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And that rings true despite the Sixers defeating the Charlotte Hornets 125-121 on Saturday night to become one of a handful of teams in the Eastern Conference to start the year with two consecutive wins.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
-
There is something about your wife’s observation that rings true.—
Joan Morris,
Mercury News,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The couple crossed paths in 2015 and married five years later.—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Here, sculptures, interactive exhibits, and winding paths encourage exploration at every turn.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
These disruptions often compel professionals to reassess their career trajectories.—
Jessica Coacci,
Fortune,
28 Oct. 2025
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Given the disease’s wide range of trajectories and manifestations—from mild and manageable to severely disabling—some now regard it as a group of diseases, rather than a single one.—
Lucinda Rosenfeld,
New Yorker,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Louisville officials are proposing a redesign of both roads, which could include new on-street parking spaces, turn lanes and pathways for pedestrians and cyclists.—
Leo Bertucci,
Louisville Courier Journal,
30 Oct. 2025
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These trials have demonstrated feasible pathways toward lower-carbon operation.—
Fran Golden,
AFAR Media,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Orbits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/orbits. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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