as in circling
to travel completely around
the moon orbits the Earth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of orbiting
More likely, the European Space Agency's Gaia astrometric mission may have been able to detect a wobble in the motion of the white dwarf on the sky caused by the gravity of orbiting gas giant planets pulling on it.
—
Keith Cooper, Space.com, 24 Oct. 2025
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, 24 Oct. 2025
Scientists measure the planet’s brightness by factoring in how much light reaches earth and how much is reflected back out to space (as measured by orbiting satellites).
—Ryan Green, Scientific American, 22 Oct. 2025
The first Artemis mission got off the ground in November 2022, when an uncrewed Orion capsule launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a moon-orbiting mission to test the vehicle.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Exes or old pals might start orbiting our social media to get our attention.
—Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 21 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
Current reports indicate that the test satellite would be followed by a constellation of roughly 4,000 orbiting satellites by 2030.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 13 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
Keith Cooper, Space.com, 24 Oct. 2025
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, 24 Oct. 2025
Scientists measure the planet’s brightness by factoring in how much light reaches earth and how much is reflected back out to space (as measured by orbiting satellites).
—Ryan Green, Scientific American, 22 Oct. 2025
The first Artemis mission got off the ground in November 2022, when an uncrewed Orion capsule launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a moon-orbiting mission to test the vehicle.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Exes or old pals might start orbiting our social media to get our attention.
—Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 21 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
Current reports indicate that the test satellite would be followed by a constellation of roughly 4,000 orbiting satellites by 2030.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 13 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for orbiting
Verb
-
One of the names circling the rumor mill for all of these top jobs is Kiffin, who has rebuilt Mississippi into a powerhouse in the SEC.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The ship was slowly circling the area where the crew member went overboard as the Italian Coast Guard conducted a maritime search.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Mariners traversing the bar are urged to exercise extreme caution or stay in port until the threat subsides.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
25 Oct. 2025
-
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
Verb
-
There is a lot of red—99 naval and coast guard vessels, to be precise, completely encircling Taiwan during PLA exercises last December.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
-
The vents encircling the stand’s rounded top handle cooling.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Orbiting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/orbiting. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share