alignment
Americannoun
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an adjustment to a line; arrangement in a straight line.
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the line or lines so formed.
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the proper adjustment of the components of an electronic circuit, machine, etc., for coordinated functioning.
The front wheels of the car are out of alignment.
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a state of agreement or cooperation among persons, groups, nations, etc., with a common cause or viewpoint.
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a ground plan of a railroad or highway.
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Archaeology. a line or an arrangement of parallel or converging lines of upright stones or menhirs.
noun
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arrangement in a straight line
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the line or lines formed in this manner
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alliance or union with a party, cause, etc
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proper or desirable coordination or relation of components
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a ground plan of a railway, motor road, etc
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archaeol an arrangement of one or more ancient rows of standing stones, of uncertain significance
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psychol integration or harmonization of aims, practices, etc within a group
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psychol identification with or matching of the behaviour, thoughts, etc of another person
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of alignment
First recorded in 1780–90; align + -ment; replacing earlier alignement, from French
Explanation
The noun alignment refers to the correct positioning of something. If you check the alignment of your feet when running, you're checking to make sure they're not pointing to either side, but going straight ahead. Alignment has to do with adjusting something so it's in the right place. If you take your car in for a wheel alignment, the mechanic will make sure the wheels are on straight. Alignment can also mean following directions or being in agreement. Your school has to act in alignment with state education rules. If you and your brother both believe that poodles should be banned in your town, then you are in alignment on the issue of poodles.
Vocabulary lists containing alignment
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“Charters are only awarded on a case-by-case basis in alignment with statutory and supervisory criteria,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
By reaching across the aisle, Netanyahu appears to be trying to reframe his electoral pitch around national unity rather than ideological alignment.
From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026
Yet, writes Mr. Burstein, Jefferson’s composed facade “fell out of alignment each time the serene farmer . . . surrendered to partisan combat.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Subtle differences in joint alignment may affect the risk of conditions, such as osteoarthritis, while variations in vascular anatomy can influence susceptibility to stroke or aneurysm.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 21, 2026
Once, when I saw this alignment about to occur again, I shifted suddenly to the side and caught the servers in the act of waffle-gloving.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
“But on any given day, financial investors are in fact oblivious to fundamental shifts in global alignments or worrying attacks on U.S. institutions,” he writes.
From Barron's ● Jan. 14, 2026
The discovery may also help refine models of intrinsic galaxy alignments, which can interfere with measurements in upcoming weak lensing surveys.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 25, 2025
He reshuffled diplomatic alignments to buy time, giving the U.S. a stronger position by the following decade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025
The exact alignments and deals are impossible to predict, and much will depend on the individuals appointed to key positions.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2024
Like consumption patterns, class alignments in politics have become jumbled.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
