What does "satellite" mean?
A moon or other smaller body orbiting a larger one.
Satellite
noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·3 syllables ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A moon or other smaller body orbiting a larger one.
- Grammar: satellite is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: accompanying, acolyte, adherent, aeolus.
- Useful contrasts: autonomous, independent, independent state.
- Usage evidence: The satellite is in orbit around the moon.
How to use "satellite"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "satellite" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "satellite" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "satellite" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "satellite" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "satellite" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "accompanying" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "satellite", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A moon or other smaller body orbiting a larger one.
"The Moon is a natural satellite of the Earth."
- 2 man-made equipment that orbits around the earth or the moon wordnet
- 3 A man-made apparatus designed to be placed in orbit around a celestial body, generally to relay information, data etc. to Earth.
"Many telecommunication satellites orbit at 36000km above the equator."
- 4 any celestial body orbiting around a planet or star wordnet
- 5 A country, state, office, building etc. which is under the jurisdiction, influence, or domination of another body.
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 a person who follows or serves another wordnet
- 7 An attendant on an important person; a member of someone's retinue, often in a somewhat derogatory sense; a henchman. archaic
"We read in the Bible, that Nicanor the persecutor of Gods Law[…]sent his Satellites to apprehend the good old man Rasias[…]."
- 8 Satellite TV; reception of television broadcasts via services that use man-made satellite technology. colloquial, uncountable
"Do you have satellite at your house?"
- 9 A grammatical construct that takes various forms and may encode a path of movement, a change of state, or the grammatical aspect. Examples: "a bird flew past"; "she turned on the light".
- 10 A very large array of tandemly repeating, non-coding DNA.
- 11 A community or town dependent on a larger town or city nearby.
"Ahead of us the lowering smoke-screen of Leeds and her gloomy satellites hung like an incubus over the land."
Verb
- 1 To transmit by satellite. transitive
"It had to speed up its efforts to participate in the international satellite television market. In the summer of 1986 it began satelliting TV programs to Africa, and in early 1987, to Asia and twenty countries in Latin America […]"
- 2 broadcast or disseminate via satellite wordnet
- 3 To orbit, like a satellite
Adjective
- 1 surrounding and dominated by a central authority or power wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"The satellite is in orbit around the moon."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "satellite"?
Common synonyms include: accompanying, acolyte, adherent, aeolus, affiliate, aide.
How do you use "satellite" in a sentence?
The satellite is in orbit around the moon.
Etymology
From Middle French satellite, from Latin satelles (“attendant”). Ultimately perhaps of Etruscan origin.