orbit
verb/ˈɔːbɪt/
/ˈɔːrbɪt/
[transitive, intransitive]Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they orbit | /ˈɔːbɪt/ /ˈɔːrbɪt/ |
| he / she / it orbits | /ˈɔːbɪts/ /ˈɔːrbɪts/ |
| past simple orbited | /ˈɔːbɪtɪd/ /ˈɔːrbɪtɪd/ |
| past participle orbited | /ˈɔːbɪtɪd/ /ˈɔːrbɪtɪd/ |
| -ing form orbiting | /ˈɔːbɪtɪŋ/ /ˈɔːrbɪtɪŋ/ |
- to move in an orbit (= a curved path) around a much larger object, especially a planet, star, etc.
- Stars near the edge of the galaxy orbit more slowly.
- orbit something The earth takes a year to orbit the sun.
- orbit around something This technique has been used to detect planets orbiting around other stars.
Word Originmid 16th cent. (referring to the eye socket): from Latin orbita ‘course, track’ (in medieval Latin ‘eye socket’), feminine of orbitus ‘circular’, from orbis ‘ring’.Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
Check pronunciation:
orbit