Meaning & use
meteorite
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A piece of rock or metal from outer space that has landed on the ground after passing through the atmosphere.
Grammar: Countable; use 'a meteorite' or 'meteorites'.
Patterns
- a meteorite lands
- a meteorite hits something
- a fragment of a meteorite
Scientists found a meteorite in the desert and sent it to a laboratory.
The museum's collection includes a large iron meteorite that fell in the 19th century.
When a meteorite enters the atmosphere, it can glow brightly before hitting the ground.
Word forms
| plural | meteorites |
|---|
Common combinations
- meteorite impact
- The crater was formed by a meteorite impact thousands of years ago.
- meteorite shower
- A meteorite shower lit up the night sky over the desert.
- iron meteorite
- Iron meteorites are heavier and more dense than stony ones.
- stony meteorite
- The stony meteorite contained tiny grains of ancient dust.
- meteorite fragment
- A small meteorite fragment was found near the impact site.
Word family
- meteor noun
- The bright streak of light seen when a space rock burns up in the atmosphere.
- meteoroid noun
- A small rocky or metallic body travelling in space before it enters the atmosphere.
Commonly confused: meteorite or meteor? meteorite or meteorology?
meteorite vs meteor
A meteor is the flash of light in the sky; a meteorite is the solid piece that reaches the ground.
meteorite vs meteorology
Meteorology is the study of weather; a meteorite is a space rock that lands on Earth.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'meteorite' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Meteorite' refers to the solid object that reaches the ground, so sentence 3 is correct. Sentences 1 and 2 describe a bright streak of light, which is a meteor, not a meteorite. Sentence 4 is wrong because meteorites are rock or metal, not ice.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “meteorite”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.