giant planet

[ jahy-uhnt plan-it ]

noun

, Astronomy.

1. any of the four largest planets in our solar system, which in order of size, from the largest, are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

giant planet

noun

1. any of the planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, characterized by large mass, low density, and an extensive atmosphere

Word History and Origins

Origin of giant planet¹

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

A giant planet wrapped by a scorching atmosphere as fluffy as cotton, WASP-107 b orbits a star about 200 light-years away.

From Science Daily

Kane was studying a star system called HD 104067 about 66 light years away from our sun that was already known to harbor a giant planet.

From Science Daily

The dates suggested the impacts that shattered the parent objects happened startlingly early, most likely driven by a giant planet migration at 11 million years, just as the inner planets were finishing being formed.

From Science Magazine

For many years, researchers believed this “giant planet instability” occurred 600 million years after the Solar System’s birth 4.57 billion years ago, based on the ages of impact craters mapped on the Moon.

From Science Magazine

WASP-76b is an ultra-hot giant planet.

From Science Daily