ASTEROID

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does asteroid mean? 

• ASTEROID (noun)
  The noun ASTEROID has 1 sense:

1. any of numerous small celestial bodies composed of rock and metal that move around the sun (mainly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter)

  Familiarity information: ASTEROID used as a noun is very rare.

• ASTEROID (adjective)
  The adjective ASTEROID has 1 sense:

1. shaped like a star

  Familiarity information: ASTEROID used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ASTEROID (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any of numerous small celestial bodies composed of rock and metal that move around the sun (mainly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Hypernyms ("asteroid" is a kind of...):

minor planet; planetoid (any of numerous small celestial bodies that move around the sun)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "asteroid"):

Chiron (an asteroid discovered in 1977; it is unique in having an orbit lying mainly between the orbits of Saturn and Uranus)

Instance hyponyms:

Apollo asteroid (an asteroid whose orbit crosses the Earth's orbit)

Ceres (the largest asteroid and the first discovered)

Pallas (a large asteroid; the second asteroid to be discovered)

Pluto (a large asteroid that was once thought to be the farthest known planet from the sun; it has an elliptical orbit)

Vesta (the brightest asteroid but the fourth to be discovered)

Derivation:

asteroid (shaped like a star)

asteroidal (of or relating to or resembling an asteroid)

• ASTEROID (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Shaped like a star

Synonyms:

asteroid; star-shaped

Similar:

angular; angulate (having angles or an angular shape)

Derivation:

asteroid (any of numerous small celestial bodies composed of rock and metal that move around the sun (mainly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter))

 Context examples 

The team found that, after ejection from the asteroid's surface, the particles either briefly orbited Bennu and fell back to its surface or escaped from Bennu into space.

(NASA's OSIRIS-REx Explains Bennu Mystery Particles, NASA)

It might be related to large collisions taking place more than 300 million years ago in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, the researchers noted.

(Moon Data Sheds Light on Earth’s Asteroid Impact History, NASA)

A small asteroid, designated 2014 RC, will safely pass very close to Earth on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2014.

(Small Asteroid to Safely Pass Close to Earth Sunday, NASA)

The star appears to be circled by a huge disc of debris, which could suggest the worlds are being regularly hit by asteroids and comets.

(Potentially Habitable 'Super-Earths' Found Orbiting around Sun's near Neighbor, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

"There are many different types of 'dances' that planets, moons and asteroids can follow, but this one has never been seen before."

(NASA Finds Neptune Moons Locked in 'Dance of Avoidance', NASA)

An asteroid, designated 2004 BL86, will safely pass about three times the distance of Earth to the moon on January 26.

(Asteroid to Fly By Earth on January 26, NASA)

A small, recently discovered asteroid — or perhaps a comet — appears to have originated from outside the solar system, coming from somewhere else in our galaxy.

(Small Asteroid or Comet 'Visits' from Beyond the Solar System, NASA)

At first glance, Ceres, the largest body in the main asteroid belt, may not look icy.

(Where is the Ice on Ceres?, NASA)

Frame shift mutations of AIM2 (absent in melanoma 2, an interferon-inducible protein), HT001 (asteroid homolog 1 or ASTE1, with an unknown function) and TAF1B (TATA box-binding protein-associated RNA polymerase I B, a transcription factor) are seen in MSI-positive colorectal cancers and may be associated with malignant transformation, tumor progression and the presence of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes.

(AIM2(-1)/HT001(-1)/TAF1B(-1) Frameshift Peptide Vaccine, NCI Thesaurus)

When the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs slammed into the planet, the impact set wildfires, triggered tsunamis and blasted so much sulfur into the atmosphere that it blocked the sun, which caused the global cooling that ultimately doomed the dinos.

(Rocks at asteroid impact site record first day of dinosaur extinction, National Science Foundation)