orphan

American  

[awr-fuhn] / ˈɔr fən /

noun

• orphans
  plural

1. a child who has lost both parents through death, or, less commonly, one parent.

2. a young animal that has been deserted by or has lost its mother.

3. a person or thing that is without protective affiliation, sponsorship, etc..

   The committee is an orphan of the previous administration.

4. Printing.

   1. (especially in word processing) the first line of a paragraph when it appears alone at the bottom of a page.

   2. widow.

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adjective

1. bereft of parents.

2. of or for orphans.

   an orphan home.

3. not authorized, supported, or funded; not part of a system; isolated; abandoned.

   an orphan research project.

4. lacking a commercial sponsor, an employer, etc..

   orphan workers.

verb (used with object)

• orphans,
  present (3rd person singular)
• orphaned,
  past participle,  past
• orphaning
  present participle

1. to deprive of parents or a parent through death.

   He was orphaned at the age of four.

2. Informal. to deprive of commercial sponsorship, an employer, etc..

   The recession has orphaned many experienced workers.

orphan British  

/ ˈɔːfən /

noun

1. 1. a child, one or (more commonly) both of whose parents are dead

   2. ( as modifier )

      an orphan child

2. printing the first line of a paragraph separated from the rest of the paragraph by occurring at the foot of a page

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verb

1. (tr) to deprive of one or both parents

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• half-orphan
  noun
• orphanhood
  noun
• unorphaned
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• orphans
  plural

Participles

• orphaning
  present
• orphaned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• orphan
  simple
• orphans
  simple
• have orphaned
  perfect
• has orphaned
  perfect
• am orphaning
  progressive
• are orphaning
  progressive
• is orphaning
  progressive
• have been orphaning
  perfect progressive
• has been orphaning
  perfect progressive

Past

• orphaned
  simple
• had orphaned
  perfect
• was orphaning
  progressive
• were orphaning
  progressive
• had been orphaning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will orphan
  simple
• will have orphaned
  perfect
• will be orphaning
  progressive
• will have been orphaning
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of orphan

1425–75; late Middle English (noun) < Late Latin orphanus destitute, without parents < Greek orphanós bereaved; akin to Latin orbus bereaved

Explanation

An orphan is someone who has lost both parents. Usually, we think of sad little children when we think of orphans, but anyone whose parents have both died is an orphan. A home for orphans is no substitute for a house with loving parents, even if they're adopted. Bambi, Annie, and Oliver Twist are probably the most famous orphans. Each lost their parents in different ways, but all of them had their lives similarly changed—they felt adrift without a parent to guide them. Orphans often spend lots of time looking for friends or surrogates to fill the gap left by their deceased parents.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

orphan orphans orphaned orphaning

Why, then, is the orphan IG’s future in doubt, even as the President cheers its work?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

A woman who grew up as an orphan and promised to "help any child I could" has spent 30 years opening her picturesque garden to visitors to raise money for a children's charity.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

Astronomers describe it as an apparent "orphan" because it sits unusually far from the galactic core, where supermassive black holes are normally found.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026

In my imagination, I was, naturally, a Dickensian orphan enjoying my one hot meal.

From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026

I wasn’t sure which notion to take more offense to: that she was still looking into orphan homes or that she considered me a sniveler.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

And he puts his money where his mouth is, with the Mohamed Salah Charity Foundation, in Nagrig, helping orphans, divorced and widowed women, the poor and sick.

From BBC ● May 22, 2026

Being raised by another sea otter rather than a human gives Sunny — like other orphans — the best chance of learning essential skills, he added.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026

Opened in 1873, the privately operated detention facility housed petty delinquents and orphans, said Marc Schindler, a professor at Georgetown who leads the project.

From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026

Medical schools received hanged criminals and deceased orphans, but demand greatly outstripped supply.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 5, 2026

I’m pretty sure the snails and whatever else is in your aquarium will die without an intervention, but I don’t really want to become a guardian to your orphans.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen

The BBC understands Ahmadzai, who left Afghanistan after being orphaned aged 15, lives in Greece with his American wife and their child.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

The BBC understands Ahmadzai, who left Afghanistan after being orphaned aged 15, lives in Greece with his American wife and child.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Candidates could consider moderating their message to attract orphaned voters, though that can be perilous.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

That certainly has been the case with orphaned oil wells, which also were built with promises of safety.

From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2026

Sue, who had adopted another of Nancy’s orphaned pets, a cat, wished she could give Babe a home, for she loved the old horse and knew how much Nancy had loved her.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

Within these confines, COVID-19 advanced without mercy: orphaning children, killing breadwinners and shattering families.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2022

“The biggest fear around spring bear season is the orphaning of cubs, that’s a very emotional argument. Even as a hunter, my worse fear would be to take a sow. Especially in a spring season.”

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 14, 2021

In Texas, Lydia Rodriguez, 42, died this month of covid-19, two weeks after her husband Lawrence’s death from the same disease, orphaning their four children.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 28, 2021

Her husband succumbed to the virus as well, orphaning their newborn.

From Fox News ● Aug. 10, 2020

Since the orphaning and especially since the blindness of Louise, Henriette cared for her with a love overwhelming as that of a mother for her helpless baby.

From Orphans of the Storm by Henry MacMahon