Display omitted •Temperature-related fit clearance is considered for the ceramic bearing dynamics.•The effect of fit clearance increases with the working temperature.•The orbit-spinning ratio reflects the rolling and sliding in the bore of pedestal.•Increase of the axial load helps with the offset of fit clearance. Owing to the difference in thermal deformation of the ceramic outer ring and steel pedestal, the outer ring experiences orbital and spinning motions in the fit clearance in wide temperature ranges, which has significant impacts on the bearing performance. In this paper, a dynamic model considering the temperature-related clearance is proposed, and the interactions between bearing and pedestal are calculated with a loose outer ring boundary condition. The orbit and spinning speeds are obtained, and the parameters concerning the speed ratio are used to evaluate the dynamic behaviors of the outer ring. Parametric analyses of temperature, rotation speed, and external load are conducted, and the results are verified through an experiment. The results show that changes in orbit-spinning behaviors are produced by variations in contact forces and area, and increased axial preload improves the stability of the bearing system. The results provide insights on bearing dynamics, and are useful for the design of ceramic bearing systems.