outer planet

noun

: any of the planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune whose orbits lie beyond the asteroid belt

Examples of outer planet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Neptune, the eighth and most distant planet from the sun, stands out among the outer planets in our solar system for its odd group of moons. Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 20 May 2026 The technology could also support missions to Neptune and Triton, long-duration probes studying outer planet moons, and future Kuiper Belt explorers traveling farther than New Horizons. Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 15 May 2026 In fact, in 2017 a group of astronomers proposed a different planetary definition that would include Pluto—however, their definition would also include more than a dozen moons of the outer planets as well, which seems a bit too welcoming. Phil Plait, Scientific American, 8 May 2026 The Milky Way's outer planets, including Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, retrograde annually. Carlie Procell, USA Today, 25 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for outer planet

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of outer planet was in 1850

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Cite this Entry

“Outer planet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outer%20planet. Accessed 24 May. 2026.

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