inner planet

noun

: any of the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars whose orbits are within the asteroid belt

Examples of inner planet 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.
Nysa belongs to a class of asteroids believed to have formed closer to the inner solar system and therefore may have a similar composition to the building blocks that would go on to form the inner planets. — Brett Tingley, Space.com, 3 Aug. 2026 This means that for every five orbits completed by the inner planet, the outer planet completes almost exactly three orbits. — Chris Young july 30, Refractor, 30 July 2026 Venus, like Mercury, is an inner planet to Earth, so it is often lost in the sun’s glare and can thus only ever be seen just before sunrise or after sunset. — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 16 Mar. 2026 The young, cool star is orbited by four inner planets, one of which has just formed a large moon in the aftermath of a giant impact, followed by an asteroid belt, four gas giants, a Kuiper belt, and an Oort cloud. — Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 2 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for inner planet

Word History

First Known Use

1770, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of inner planet was in 1770

Rhymes for inner planet

See All Rhymes for inner planet

Browse Nearby Words

inner phase
inner planet
inner post
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Inner planet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inner%20planet. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All