orphan

American  

[awr-fuhn] / ˈɔr fən /

noun

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

• orphanhood
  noun
• half-orphan
  noun
• unorphaned
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has orphaned
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have orphaned
  perfect
• have been orphaning
  perfect progressive
• is orphaning
  progressive 3rd person singular
• orphaning
  participle
• are orphaning
  progressive
• orphans
  singular 3rd person
• has been orphaning
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• am orphaning
  progressive 1st person singular

Past

• had orphaned
  perfect
• had been orphaning
  perfect progressive
• orphaned
  participle
• was orphaning
  progressive singular
• were orphaning
  progressive plural
• orphaned
  simple

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

By making injustice into a kind of orphan, oppression is made to seem like the natural order of things.

From Salon • May 31, 2026

He noted that Brendon was left an orphan.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026

The company also noted a slower ramp-up for some rare and orphan drug programs as impacting the product mix and growth forecasts.

From Barron's • May 1, 2026

“The chances of becoming an orphan stock are much higher when you’re listing in your non-home market,” Kerr said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

Was I now nothing more than an orphan?

From "Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina" by Michaela DePrince