: a celestial body that appears as a fuzzy head usually surrounding a bright nucleus, that has a usually highly eccentric orbit, that consists primarily of ice and dust, and that often develops one or more long tails when near the sun
Examples of comet in a Sentence
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Asteroids are large space rocks, while comets are large, dirty ice balls.
—
Alexander E. Gates, The Conversation, 5 May 2025
But hurry because by May 7, this comet will have dipped below the horizon for Northern Hemisphere observers.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
Meteors come from leftover comet particles and bits of broken asteroids.
—Skyler Caruso, People.com, 5 May 2025
Astronomer Gianluca Masi also observed the comet twice using a telescope in Manciano, Italy.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 18 Apr. 2025
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Alexander E. Gates, The Conversation, 5 May 2025
But hurry because by May 7, this comet will have dipped below the horizon for Northern Hemisphere observers.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
Meteors come from leftover comet particles and bits of broken asteroids.
—Skyler Caruso, People.com, 5 May 2025
Astronomer Gianluca Masi also observed the comet twice using a telescope in Manciano, Italy.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for comet
Cite this Entry
“Comet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comet. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
comet
noun
com·et
ˈkäm-ət 
: a bright heavenly body that develops a cloudy tail as it moves closer to the sun in its orbit
Etymology
Old English cometa "comet," from Latin cometa (same meaning), from Greek komētēs, literally, "long-haired," derived from komē "hair" — related to coma entry 2
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