the curved path that a planet, moon, or human-made object follows as it goes around another body in space
The moon travels along its orbit around Earth.
Mars has a longer orbit than Earth because it is farther from the Sun.
✦ From Latin orbita “track, course”.
to move around a planet, star, or other object in space in a curved path
The International Space Station orbits Earth roughly every ninety minutes.
Thousands of tiny particles orbit Saturn, creating its famous rings.
✦ Back-formation from the noun orbit.
to send a spacecraft or satellite so that it travels around a planet or other body in space
The agency plans to orbit a new weather satellite next year.
Engineers successfully orbited the probe after two engine burns.
✦ Extension of the intransitive verb sense.
a range or area of activity, influence, or interest that someone or something has
The small firm soon fell within the larger corporation’s orbit.
She works in the political orbit of the prime minister.
✦ Figurative use based on the path sense.
the bony cavity in the skull that holds the eye; eye socket
The doctor examined the bones around the left orbit for fractures.
In some reptiles, the orbit is larger to accommodate extensive eye muscles.
✦ Adopted into anatomy for its circular shape.
