planet

/ˈplænɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈplænɪt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈpla-nət/ (ame, mw)

planet — noun

  • planetsingular
  • planetsplural

1. one of the huge bodies in space, roughly shaped like a ball, that circle a star

1.名詞B1
釋義

one of the huge bodies in space, roughly shaped like a ball, that circle a star and shine with reflected light, such as Earth, Mars, or Jupiter.

例句

Earth is the only planet in our system known to support life.

planet + in our system

A new telescope found a rocky planet circling a star near Orion.

planet around + star

同義詞
  • world

    broader and common in science fiction, especially when a planet is treated as a place to live

  • exoplanet

    narrower scientific term for a planet outside our solar system

  • orb

    literary and uncommon; used more in descriptive writing than in science

文法句型

planet + around + star

life on + planet

the planet + name

用法筆記

Usually countable and often modified by words such as 'rocky', 'distant', or 'Earth-like'. Distinguish from sense 2 (THE WORLD): this sense names one object in space, not the shared home of human life.

常見錯誤

❌Life may exist in other planets.
✅Life may exist on other planets.
💡English usually uses 'on' when a planet is treated as a place.
❌The Earth is the planet in our solar system.
✅The Earth is a planet in our solar system.
💡use 'a' when naming Earth as one member of a class.

2. the Earth thought of as the shared home of people, animals, and plants, especial

2.名詞A2
釋義

the Earth thought of as the shared home of people, animals, and plants, especially when someone is talking about environmental harm or protection.

例句

Young volunteers spent Saturday cleaning the beach to help the planet.

environmental use: help the planet

Burning less fuel is one small way families can protect the planet.

protect the planet

同義詞
  • Earth

    the most direct name for our planet

  • world

    common when the focus is people, society, or life across countries

  • globe

    often used in journalism or formal writing for the whole world

文法句型

save/protect the planet

on the planet

do something for the planet

用法筆記

Normally singular and usually used as 'the planet'. Common in environmental language such as 'save the planet', but it also appears in emphatic expressions like 'the only person on the planet' to mean 'in the whole world'.

常見錯誤

❌We must protect planets.
✅We must protect the planet.
💡this sense usually means Earth as one shared world, so singular 'the planet' is normal.
❌Nobody in the planet knew the answer.
✅Nobody on the planet knew the answer.
💡the fixed expression uses 'on', not 'in'.