align

[ uh-lahyn ]

verb (used with object)

1. to arrange in a straight line; adjust according to a line.

   Synonyms: straighten

2. to bring into a line or alignment.

   Synonyms: straighten

3. to bring into cooperation or agreement with a particular group, party, cause, etc.:

   He aligned himself with the liberals.

4. to adjust (two or more components of an electronic circuit) to improve the response over a frequency band, as to align the tuned circuits of a radio receiver for proper tracking throughout its frequency range, or a television receiver for appropriate wide-band responses.

verb (used without object)

1. to fall or come into line; be in line.
2. to join with others in a cause.

align

/ əˈlaɪn /

verb

1. to place or become placed in a line
2. to bring (components or parts, such as the wheels of a car) into proper or desirable coordination or relation
3. trusually foll bywith to bring (a person, country, etc) into agreement or cooperation with the policy, etc of another person or group
4. tr psychol to integrate or harmonize the aims, practices, etc of a group
5. usually foll by with psychol to identify with or match the behaviour, thoughts, etc of another person

Other Words From

• a·lign·er noun
• re·a·lign verb
• self-a·lign·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of align¹

First recorded in 1685–95; from French aligner, equivalent to a- “toward” + ligner, from Latin līneāre, derivative of līnea “line”; a- ⁵, line ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of align¹

C17: from Old French aligner, from à ligne into line

Example Sentences

Google’s ad business isn’t as closely aligned with day-to-day domestic spending, so it’s natural to see Amazon grabbing more market share during these chaotic times.

From Search Engine Land

Call me an optimist, but if corporate lobbying re-aligns around ESG, federal action on climate change would be its most consequential outcome.

From Fortune

You’ve got to figure out some other way to have people be aligned to work well together.

From Freakonomics

If we break out each passer’s performance by the type of coverage they faced, their performances continue to align generally in most measures.

From FiveThirtyEight

It’s the reason fellow event planner and designer Jove Meyer also aligns his company with Instagram—he goes as far to say that the social media brand powers his business.

From Fortune

No one wants to align with less freedom at a time like this.

From The Daily Beast

I know that many of your values do, indeed, align with Republican policies.

From The Daily Beast

In her opinion, “a lot of the Value Voter's positions could align with those of Jews, particularly the Orthodox.”

From The Daily Beast

It was just an aesthetic taste thing that happened to align.

From The Daily Beast

These stories are the immovable objects of Star Wars history, the characters and events to which all other tales must align.

From The Daily Beast

It was impossible to align the sights of his stun gun with any of those flitting shadows, Raf discovered.

From Project Gutenberg

These have been kept in the html version to align the page numbers.

From Project Gutenberg

Lockley found it difficult to align the carrier beam to Vale's exact location.

From Project Gutenberg

The sights are to enable him to align the barrel of his pistol accurately.

From Project Gutenberg

To align the squad, the base file or files having been established: 1.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• adjust
• coordinate
• regulate