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circumlunar

American

[sur-kuhm-loo-ner] / ˌsɜr kəmˈlu nər /

adjective

rotating about or surrounding the moon.

circumlunar British

/ ˌsɜːkəmˈluːnə /

adjective

around or revolving around the moon

a circumlunar orbit

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of circumlunar

First recorded in 1905–10; circum- + lunar

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Globally, several concepts are already being discussed, including capturing small asteroids that pass close to Earth and placing them into circumlunar orbit for study and resource use.

From Science Daily • Dec. 25, 2025

Two months earlier, U.S. businessman and first "space tourist" Dennis Tito revealed his and his wife's intentions to fly on SpaceX's second circumlunar mission.

From Scientific American • Apr. 3, 2023

McPike started questioning the terms of the agreement, especially after a 2014 Moscow Times article in which an official from Russian space agency Roscosmos said they were unaware of the circumlunar project and not involved.

From Washington Post • May 26, 2019

This would be qualitatively different than simpler circumlunar slingshot mission planned by SpaceX for the next couple of years.

From Slate • Mar. 21, 2017

Soon, the thrust would be needed in reverse, for braking action, near the end of the sixty hour journey into a circumlunar orbit.

From The Planet Strappers by Gallun, Raymond Z.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023