alignment

American  

[uh-lahyn-muhnt] / əˈlaɪn mənt /

Also alinement

noun

alignments plural

1. an adjustment to a line; arrangement in a straight line.

2. the line or lines so formed.

3. 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.

4. a state of agreement or cooperation among persons, groups, nations, etc., with a common cause or viewpoint.

5. a ground plan of a railroad or highway.

6. Archaeology. a line or an arrangement of parallel or converging lines of upright stones or menhirs.

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alignment British  

/ əˈlaɪnmənt /

noun

1. arrangement in a straight line

2. the line or lines formed in this manner

3. alliance or union with a party, cause, etc

4. proper or desirable coordination or relation of components

5. a ground plan of a railway, motor road, etc

6. archaeol an arrangement of one or more ancient rows of standing stones, of uncertain significance

7. psychol integration or harmonization of aims, practices, etc within a group

8. psychol identification with or matching of the behaviour, thoughts, etc of another person

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonalinement
  noun
• realignment
  noun
• self-alignment
  noun
• self-alinement
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• alignments
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

alignment alignments

The family meeting is a gift: understanding, reduced burden, and alignment between what you believe and what you’ve built.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

Its speed, location, and alignment with the debris disk all matched what scientists would expect from a planet orbiting Beta Pictoris.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026

“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

With telescopic sights, a fine hair in the focal plane of the telescope provides a far more accurate guide to the precise alignment of a star.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

Mr. Netanyahu has directed Israel’s diplomacy for 16 of the past 17 years, resulting in many formal and informal alignments with nations that had long been among Israel’s sworn enemies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

The long-term consequences could outlast the war itself, reshaping regional alignments in ways that leave Iran more isolated.

From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2026

“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

Such statistical alignments must happen by chance every now and then.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

• adjustment