near-earth objectnoun [ C ]
uk/ˌnɪərˌɜːθ ˈɒb.dʒɪkt//ˌnɪrˌɝːθ ˈɑːb.dʒɪkt/abbreviation NEOan object in space, for example an asteroid, comet, or meteoroid that sometimes passes close to the earth:
The task of finding and tracking large near-earth objects more than one kilometre across has been assigned to the Spaceguard Survey.