• (America) IPA: /oɹb/
• (British) IPA: /ɔː(ɹ)b/

orb (plural orbs)

1. A spherical body; a globe; especially, one of the celestial spheres; a sun, planet, or star
   • 1609, William Shakespeare, A Lover's Complaint

     In the small orb of one particular tear.

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book IV”, in Paradise Lost. A Poem Written in Ten Books, London: Printed [by Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […] [a]nd by Robert Boulter […] [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], OCLC 228722708 ↗; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: The Text Exactly Reproduced from the First Edition of 1667: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554 ↗:

     Whether the prime orb, Incredible how swift, had thither rolled.

2. One of the azure transparent spheres conceived by the ancients to be enclosed one within another, and to carry the heavenly bodies in their revolutions
3. A circle; especially, a circle, or nearly circular orbit, described by the revolution of a heavenly body; an orbit
   • 1612, Francis Bacon, Essayes or Counsels, Civill and Morall, "Of Superstition"

     The schoolmen were like astronomers, which did feign eccentrics, and epicycles, and such engines of orbs.

   • 1598–1599 (first performance)​, William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act IV, scene i]:

     You seem to me as Dian in her orb.

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book V”, in Paradise Lost. A Poem Written in Ten Books, London: Printed [by Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […] [a]nd by Robert Boulter […] [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], OCLC 228722708 ↗; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: The Text Exactly Reproduced from the First Edition of 1667: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554 ↗:

     In orbs Of circuit inexpressible they stood, Orb within orb.

4. (rare) A period of time marked off by the revolution of a heavenly body.
5. (poetic) The eye, as luminous and spherical
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book III”, in Paradise Lost. A Poem Written in Ten Books, London: Printed [by Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […] [a]nd by Robert Boulter […] [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], OCLC 228722708 ↗; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: The Text Exactly Reproduced from the First Edition of 1667: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554 ↗:

     A drop serene hath quenched their orbs.

6. (poetic) A revolving circular body; a wheel
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book VI”, in Paradise Lost. A Poem Written in Ten Books, London: Printed [by Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […] [a]nd by Robert Boulter […] [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], OCLC 228722708 ↗; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: The Text Exactly Reproduced from the First Edition of 1667: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554 ↗:

     The orbs Of his fierce chariot rolled.

7. (rare) A sphere of action.
   • 1815, William Wordsworth, "Essay, Supplementary to the Preface"

     By what fatality the orb of my genius […] acts upon these men like the moon upon a certain description of patients, it would be irksome to inquire

   • 1609, William Shakespeare, Pericles, Prince of Tyre Act 1 Scene 2

     But in our orbs we'll live so round and safe.

8. A globus cruciger; a ceremonial sphere used to represent royal power
9. A translucent sphere appearing in flash photography (Orb (optics))
10. (military) A body of soldiers drawn up in a circle, as for defence, especially infantry to repel cavalry.

• (spherical body) ball, globe, sphere
• (circle) circle, orbit
• (a period of time) seeSynonyms en
• (an eye) seeSynonyms en
• (revolving circular body) roller, wheel
• (sphere of action) area, domain, field, province
• (monarch's ceremonial sphere) globe, globus cruciger, mound, orb
• (military formation) globe

• French: orbe
• German: Kugel, Gestirn
• Italian: orbe
• Portuguese: orbe
• Russian: сфе́ра
• Spanish: orbe

• French: sphère

• French: œil
• Italian: occhio, globo

• French: sphère
• Italian: sfera

orb (orbs, present participle orbing; past and past participle orbed)

1. (poetic, transitive) To form into an orb or circle.
2. (poetic, intransitive) To become round like an orb.
3. (poetic, transitive) To encircle; to surround; to enclose.
   • 1717', Joseph Addison, Metamorphoses

     The wheels were orbed with gold.

orb (plural orbs)

1. (architecture) A blank window or panel.

orb (plural orbs)

1. (software engineering) Initialism of object request broker

• German: ORB