orbit

orbit — noun

1. the route an object in space keeps taking as it goes around a planet, star, or m

1.nounB2
Definition

the route an object in space keeps taking as it goes around a planet, star, or moon

Example

The Moon stays in orbit around Earth because of gravity.

in orbit around [planet]

Engineers checked the satellite's orbit before the launch from Florida.

Common collocations
  • in orbit
  • enter orbit
  • leave orbit
  • low orbit
  • orbit around Earth
Synonyms
  • path

    a broader everyday word for any line of movement

  • trajectory

    often used for the route of something thrown or launched, not repeated circling

  • course

    usually stresses direction rather than repeated movement around a center

Grammar Patterns

in orbit around [planet/star]

enter orbit

track an orbit

Usage Note

Common with around after the noun and with verbs such as enter, leave, and track. In science writing, low orbit and high orbit are especially frequent for satellites.

Common Mistakes

The satellite is on the orbit of Earth.
The satellite is in orbit around Earth.
say in orbit around, not on the orbit of.

2. the bony hollow in the skull where an eye sits

2.nounC2
Definition

the bony hollow in the skull where an eye sits

Example

The boxer had a crack in the left orbit above his eye.

medical use: orbit = eye socket

The X-ray showed swelling in the orbit behind Noah's right eye.

Common collocations
  • fractured orbit
  • swelling in the orbit
  • repair the orbit
  • left orbit
Synonyms
  • eye socket

    the usual everyday phrase

  • socket

    shorter, but often needs eye for clarity

  • cavity

    a broader anatomical word for a hollow space

Grammar Patterns

damage to the orbit

swelling in the orbit

repair the orbit

Usage Note

Mostly a medical or anatomical term. In everyday English, people usually say eye socket instead.

Common Mistakes

The scan showed damage in her eye bone.
The scan showed damage in her orbit.
in medical English, orbit is the standard noun for the bony space around the eye.

3. the group of people, places, or activities that someone or something can affect

3.nounC1
Definition

the group of people, places, or activities that someone or something can affect or is closely connected with

Example

After the reform, local schools fell within the mayor's orbit, not the county's.

within someone's orbit

After the TV campaign, the village charity moved beyond its old orbit.

Common collocations
  • within someone's orbit
  • outside someone's orbit
  • beyond its orbit
  • bring into someone's orbit
Synonyms
  • sphere

    slightly more formal and abstract

  • circle

    can stress the group of people more than the power involved

  • range

    focuses on extent rather than close connection

  • domain

    often suggests an area of work or control

Grammar Patterns

within someone's orbit

outside someone's orbit

bring someone into someone's orbit

Usage Note

Often appears after within, outside, beyond, or in the orbit of. It is common in politics, business, and social description, not in literal talk about planets.

Common Mistakes

The mayor's orbit goes around the city.
The mayor's orbit includes the city offices.
here orbit means an area of influence, not a path in space.

orbit — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Orbit is more specific than path or course. A path can be any line of movement, whether on the ground, in the air, or on a map. Course often stresses the direction chosen by a ship, plane, or person. Trajectory is the route something follows after being thrown, fired, or launched, and it does not suggest repeated movement around a center. Revolution is different again: it means one full trip around that center, while orbit is the continuing track itself. So Earth completes one revolution every year, but it remains in orbit around the sun. You can say The satellite entered orbit after launch, but not The satellite entered revolution.

path ↗trajectory ↗course ↗revolution ↗

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Orbit came into English from Latin orbita, a word for the track made by a wheel or wagon. That image of a marked track later became the usual word for the route a planet, moon, or satellite follows around something larger. From the idea of a rounded track or ring, English also developed the anatomical sense for the bony space around the eye.