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orbit

/ˈɔː(ɹ)bɪt/

noun

Meaning

  • A circular or elliptical path of one object around another object, particularly in astronomy and space travel.

    "The Moon's orbit around the Earth takes nearly one month to complete."

  • A sphere of influence; an area of control.

    "In the post WWII era, several eastern European countries came into the orbit of the Soviet Union."

  • The course of one's usual progression, or the extent of one's typical range.

    "The convenience store was a heavily travelled point in her daily orbit, as she purchased both cigarettes and lottery tickets there."

  • The bony cavity containing the eyeball; the eye socket.

  • A mathematical function that describes the wave-like behavior of an electron in an atom; area of the highest probability of electron´s occurrence around the atom's nucleus.

  • A collection of points related by the evolution function of a dynamical system.

  • The subset of elements of a set X to which a given element can be moved by members of a specified group of transformations that act on X.

  • A state of increased excitement, activity, or anger.

    "Dad went into orbit when I told him that I'd crashed the car."

  • A path for the ball on the outer edge of the playfield, usually connected so that the ball entering in one end will come out of the other.

verb

Meaning

  • To circle or revolve around another object.

    "The Earth orbits the Sun."

  • To move around the general vicinity of something.

    "The harried mother had a cloud of children orbiting her, begging for sweets."

  • To place an object into an orbit around a planet.

    "A rocket was used to orbit the satellite."

Synonyms

circumambulate,
tag along,
launch