Kuiper Belt

noun

Kui·​per Belt ˈkī-pər- How to pronounce Kuiper Belt (audio)
: a band of small celestial bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune from which many short-period comets are believed to originate compare oort cloud

Examples of Kuiper Belt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Think of the Kuiper Belt as an outer reach of this protoplanetary disk that was frozen in time at that moment. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 19 Feb. 2026 Most important for today is the Kuiper Belt reaching from just beyond Neptune out to almost twice the size of its orbit. — Adam Frank, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2026 The finding offers fresh insight into our solar system's farthest, coldest objects in a region known as the Kuiper Belt. — CBS News, 4 May 2026 The results were compared with data from 54 Kuiper Belt bodies, also from James Webb observations. — Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 20 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for Kuiper Belt

Word History

Etymology

Gerald A. Kuiper †1973 U.S. (Dutch-born) astronomer

First Known Use

1988, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Kuiper Belt was in 1988

Rhymes for Kuiper Belt

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Browse Nearby Words

Kui
Kuiper Belt
Kuitsh
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Cite this Entry

“Kuiper Belt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Kuiper%20Belt. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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