orient
noun
the Orient,
orient
American
[awr-ee-uhnt, -ee-ent, ohr-, awr-ee-ent, ohr-]
/ ˈɔr i ənt, -iˌɛnt, ˈoʊr-, ˈɔr iˌɛnt, ˈoʊr- /
noun
-
orients
plural
-
Older Use. the Orient,
-
the countries of Asia, especially East Asia.
-
(formerly) the countries to the east of the Mediterranean.
-
-
Jewelry.
-
an orient pearl.
-
the iridescence of a pearl.
-
-
the east; the eastern region of the heavens or the world.
verb (used with object)
-
orients,
present (3rd person singular)
-
oriented,
past participle, past
-
orienting
present participle
-
to adjust with relation to, or bring into due relation to surroundings, circumstances, facts, etc.
-
to familiarize (a person) with new surroundings or circumstances, or the like.
lectures designed to orient the new students.
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to place in any definite position with reference to the points of the compass or other locations.
to orient a building north and south.
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to direct or position toward a particular object.
Orient it toward that house.
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to determine the position of in relation to the points of the compass; get the bearings of.
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to place so as to face the east, especially to build (a church) with the chief altar to the east and the chief entrance to the west.
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Surveying. to set (the horizontal circle of a surveying instrument) so that readings give correct azimuths.
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Mathematics. to assign to (a surface) a constant, outward direction at each point.
verb (used without object)
-
orients,
present (3rd person singular)
-
oriented,
past participle, past
-
orienting
present participle
adjective
-
(of a gem or pearl) exceptionally fine and lustrous; oriental.
-
Archaic. rising or appearing, especially as from below the horizon.
the orient sun.
orient
1
British
noun
adjective
-
poetic eastern
-
archaic (of the sun, stars, etc) rising
verb
-
to adjust or align (oneself or something else) according to surroundings or circumstances
-
(tr) to position, align, or set (a map, surveying instrument, etc) with reference to the points of the compass or other specific directions
-
(tr) to set or build (a church) in an easterly direction
Orient
2
British
/ ˈɔːrɪənt /
noun
-
the countries east of the Mediterranean
-
the eastern hemisphere
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
orientsimple
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orientssimple
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have orientedperfect
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has orientedperfect
-
am orientingprogressive
-
are orientingprogressive
-
is orientingprogressive
-
have been orientingperfect progressive
-
has been orientingperfect progressive
Past
-
orientedsimple
-
had orientedperfect
-
was orientingprogressive
-
were orientingprogressive
-
had been orientingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of orient
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin orient- (stem of oriēns ) “the east, sunrise,” noun use of present participle of orīrī “to rise”; see -ent
Explanation
When you orient yourself towards something, you point yourself towards it, literally or figuratively. The Orient is an old-fashioned name for Asia, or the East. It's where the sun rises, and, sure enough, the Latin root of orient means "rising," as in the rising of the sun. If you're lost in the woods, probably the first thing you'd do is look for the sun and try to orient yourself — figure out which direction you need to walk in order to get to where you want to go. You might also take out your orienteering equipment — your compass and map. If the sun isn't out, you might have to settle in and orient yourself to your surroundings and prepare for a long night in the woods.
Vocabulary lists containing orient
Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 3
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ACT Vocabulary List
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Content Summary G.1: Principles of Geography
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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:
“So one of the things that we believe that investors should be doing is looking at how to orient strategies that incorporate things beyond equities and bonds into that portfolio,” Amin said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
Once considered a portent of end times, a solar eclipse is an undeniably eccentric way to orient a vacation calendar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
It’s only a problem if you think the state should orient itself not around encouraging maximal voting but around announcing the count quickly.
From Slate ● Jun. 9, 2026
It ended after the spacecrafts ran out of fuel and were no longer able to orient themselves toward the Sun.
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026
I pulled out my small notebook and looked at the map I had sketched earlier, trying to orient myself.
From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys
That left just Leyton Orient and Reading at risk at not having a game to play.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
China’s state-owned Cosco and its Hong Kong-based unit Orient Overseas Container Line, or OOCL, also are returning to the strategic corridor, data firm Linerlytica said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Love is being held without bond at Orient Road Jail in Tampa.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
Christie is the world's best-selling author of all time and is known for her 66 detective novels, including Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2026
The left column reported on the war in the Orient.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
The entire fund industry orients products to different types of investors.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2025
The dung beetle, which disperses seeds as it rolls its dung balls, fertilizing topsoil and enhancing biodiversity and engineering its environment, normally orients itself using the Milky Way and the moon.
From Salon ● Apr. 15, 2025
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon orients itself between Earth and the sun, shielding the solar surface from our view.
From New York Times ● Mar. 22, 2024
First, the patient orients the artificial hand according to the grasping location, slowly moves the fingers together, and then grabs the pen.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 5, 2023
He uses his old perspective frame often as he orients himself to the landscapes of his new home.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
Much of the plan is oriented around cementing the territory’s economic ties with mainland China, through a raft of commercial and educational programs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
"All parties should work together to advance AI in a manner that is open, inclusive, beneficial to all, and oriented toward the good," he added.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
“Buying negative-beta stocks helps a long term oriented portfolio ‘ride out’ volatility events, with interest rate, geopolitical and midterm election uncertainty the catalysts for another such event as September gets underway,” the analysts said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
The only event that seemed more oriented toward entertainment than persuasion was the log-cutting competition.
From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026
These areas integrate your sensory input and muscle actions so you keep oriented in space and in motion.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
The pitch from new child brands such as Rini, Evereden or Saint Crewe is that they are orienting tweens and teens to more suitable alternatives.
From Barron's ● Nov. 28, 2025
She was orienting her songs around social concerns.
From New York Times ● Feb. 21, 2024
The maps revealed three components of attention, alerting, orienting and executive control.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 29, 2024
Over the years, despite the chaos that tumbled down its feed, it became an orienting force; a way that we parsed and organized information for the coming day, or week.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2023
He beamed urbanely as he began orienting Colonel Scheisskopf to his new surroundings.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
