ORBIT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does orbit mean? 

• ORBIT (noun)
  The noun ORBIT has 5 senses:

1. the (usually elliptical) path described by one celestial body in its revolution about another

2. a particular environment or walk of life

3. an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control:

4. the path of an electron around the nucleus of an atom

5. the bony cavity in the skull containing the eyeball

  Familiarity information: ORBIT used as a noun is common.

• ORBIT (verb)
  The verb ORBIT has 1 sense:

1. move in an orbit

  Familiarity information: ORBIT used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ORBIT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The (usually elliptical) path described by one celestial body in its revolution about another

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Synonyms:

celestial orbit; orbit

Context example:

he plotted the orbit of the moon

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

itinerary; path; route (an established line of travel or access)

Meronyms (parts of "orbit"):

apoapsis; point of apoapsis ((astronomy) the point in an orbit farthest from the body being orbited)

periapsis; point of periapsis ((astronomy) the point in an orbit closest to the body being orbited)

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

geosynchronous orbit (a circular orbit around the Earth having a period of 24 hours)

Derivation:

orbit (move in an orbit)

orbital (of or relating to an orbit)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A particular environment or walk of life

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

area; arena; domain; field; orbit; sphere

Context example:

he's out of my orbit

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

environment (the totality of surrounding conditions)

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

distaff (the sphere of work by women)

front (a sphere of activity involving effort)

kingdom; land; realm (a domain in which something is dominant)

lap (an area of control or responsibility)

political arena; political sphere (a sphere of intense political activity)

preserve (a domain that seems to be specially reserved for someone)

province; responsibility (the proper sphere or extent of your activities)

Sense 3

Meaning:

An area in which something acts or operates or has power or control:

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

ambit; compass; orbit; range; reach; scope

Context example:

in the political orbit of a world power

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

extent (the distance or area or volume over which something extends)

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

confines (a bounded scope)

contrast (the range of optical density and tone on a photographic negative or print (or the extent to which adjacent areas on a television screen differ in brightness))

internationalism; internationality (quality of being international in scope)

latitude (scope for freedom of e.g. action or thought; freedom from restriction)

horizon; purview; view (the range of interest or activity that can be anticipated)

expanse; sweep (a wide scope)

gamut (a complete extent or range:)

spectrum (a broad range of related objects or values or qualities or ideas or activities)

palette; pallet (the range of colour characteristic of a particular artist or painting or school of art)

approximate range; ballpark (near to the scope or range of something)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The path of an electron around the nucleus of an atom

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Synonyms:

electron orbit; orbit

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

itinerary; path; route (an established line of travel or access)

Derivation:

orbit (move in an orbit)

orbital (of or relating to an orbit)

Sense 5

Meaning:

The bony cavity in the skull containing the eyeball

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

cranial orbit; eye socket; orbit; orbital cavity

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

bodily cavity; cavity; cavum ((anatomy) a natural hollow or sinus within the body)

Meronyms (parts of "orbit"):

lacrimal bone (small fragile bone making up part of the front inner walls of each eye socket and providing room for the passage of the lacrimal ducts)

Holonyms ("orbit" is a part of...):

skull (the bony skeleton of the head of vertebrates)

Derivation:

orbital (of or relating to the eye socket)

• ORBIT (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they orbit    ... he / she / it orbits   
Past simple: orbited   
Past participle: orbited   
-ing form: orbiting   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Move in an orbit

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

orb; orbit; revolve

Context example:

electrons orbit the nucleus

Hypernyms (to "orbit" is one way to...):

circle (move in a circular path above (someone or something))

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "orbit"):

retrograde (move backward in an orbit, of celestial bodies)

Sentence frames:

Something is ----ing PP
Something ----s something

Derivation:

orbit (the (usually elliptical) path described by one celestial body in its revolution about another)

orbit (the path of an electron around the nucleus of an atom)

orbiter (man-made equipment that orbits around the earth or the moon)

 Context examples 

A malignant mesenchymal neoplasm that arises in the orbit.

(Orbit Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma, NCI Thesaurus)

A malignant neoplasm that has spread to the orbit from another anatomic site.

(Metastatic Malignant Neoplasm to the Orbit, NCI Thesaurus)

The small thin membrane of skin extending from below the orbit and that covers the bottom portion of the eye.

(Lower Eyelid, NCI Thesaurus)

A thin, quadrilateral muscle originating at the lower margin of the orbit and attaching to the muscles of the upper lip to elevate the lip.

(Levator Labii Superioris, NCI Thesaurus)

A capillary hemangioma arising from the orbit.

(Orbit Capillary Hemangioma, NCI Thesaurus)

The European Space Agency's (ESA) spacecraft will become the first to orbit a comet and land a probe on its nucleus.

(Rosetta closing in on comet, NASA)

It comes by every 33 to 38 years, depending on the orbit of both planets.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

A hemangioma arising from the orbit.

(Orbit Hemangioma, NCI Thesaurus)

A benign congenital tumor that affects the orbit.

(Orbit Dermoid Cyst, NCI Thesaurus)

Earthshine is easiest to see around the time of a new Moon due to the position of Earth and the Moon in their orbits.

(Earthshine, NASA)