TRAJECTORY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does trajectory mean? 

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

1. the path followed by an object moving through space

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

 Dictionary entry details 

• TRAJECTORY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The path followed by an object moving through space

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Synonyms:

flight; trajectory

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

mechanical phenomenon (a physical phenomenon associated with the equilibrium or motion of objects)

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

ballistic trajectory; ballistics (the trajectory of an object in free flight)

gravity-assist ((spaceflight) a trajectory that passes close to a planetary body in order to gain energy from its gravitational field)

 Context examples 

At this time very little else is known about the object's physical properties, even though its trajectory is well known.

(Asteroid to Fly Safely Past Earth on April 19, NASA)

"It is going extremely fast and on such a trajectory that we can say with confidence that this object is on its way out of the solar system and not coming back."

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

Astronomers will continue collect observations to further characterize the comet's physical properties (size, rotation, etc.) and also continue to better identify its trajectory.

(Newly Discovered Comet Is Likely Interstellar Visitor, NASA)

Clinical specialists in pediatric nursing practice across the trajectory of care in settings which include primary, acute, community, or rehabilitation.

(Pediatric nurse specialist, NCI Thesaurus)

The U.S. National Ice Center will monitor the trajectory of the new iceberg, which is likely to be named A-68.

(Massive Iceberg Breaks Off from Antarctica, NASA)

If worldwide greenhouse gas emissions remain on their current trajectory, Greenland may be ice-free by the year 3000.

(New research shows an iceless Greenland may be in the future, National Science Foundation)

However, individual trajectories of cognitive changes have not been assessed in this cross-sectional study.

(Rare Alzheimer's Disease Patients May Delay Cognitive Decline with Exercise, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The findings suggest that abrupt, short-lived climate events can cause long-term alterations in polar regions that unfold over the span of several years and subsequently change the overall trajectory of an ecosystem.

(Extreme melt season leads to decade-long ecosystem changes in Antarctica's Dry Valleys, National Science Foundation)

Its trajectory will continue to be recalculated past that time frame as additional observations are received.

(Asteroid discovered by NASA to pass Earth safely, NASA)

The jet's trajectory is just slightly offset from our line of sight with respect to the galaxy, so we can still see some of the length of the jet.

(The Giant Galaxy Around the Giant Black Hole, NASA)