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.
-
to place in any definite position with reference to the points of the compass or other locations.
to orient a building north and south.
-
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
-
orientssimple
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have orientedperfect
-
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:
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
This design allows patients to use both their natural peripheral vision and the new prosthetic central vision simultaneously, improving their ability to orient themselves and move around.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2025
She managed to orient herself, sorting out up and down just in time to see the edge of the roof coming toward her.
From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld
Love is being held without bond at Orient Road Jail in Tampa.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
But Leyton Orient centre-forward Dom Ballard managed just that, helping keep his side in the division with big goals in crucial games.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
Think Orient Express but with more Shiraz and less black tie: The Aurora and Australis suites come with queen beds, butler service and free-flowing Champagne.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 20, 2025
Citic Securities and Orient Securities are likely to benefit most, they say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 8, 2025
“I bet she could get more hours a week. Or maybe even a full-time spot at Pearl of the Orient, or some other place.”
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
The entire fund industry orients products to different types of investors.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2025
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
The first irregular signals suggested something had gone wrong with the attitude control computer that orients Voyager 1 in space.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2022
Watching her come to terms with her general knowledge deficits and gaps in worldliness orients the show's emotional compass.
From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2021
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
The stress hormone cortisol can interfere with the brain system that helps people navigate and stay oriented.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026
The only event that seemed more oriented toward entertainment than persuasion was the log-cutting competition.
From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026
A reshoring push should help more domestic oriented small companies too.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
“We believe these factors are likely to continue driving investment into the home-building industry over time from sources of long-term oriented capital,” Lovallo wrote in a note to clients.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 1, 2026
Unlike academically oriented research organizations, the NACAs laboratories always strove to live up to the “practical solutions” of their founding mission.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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
It’s become a practice of just orienting myself on a new land and having this other understanding of a place I love.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2025
"We're working with engineers now to automate this orienting process so that it can be done with other samples in the future."
From Science Daily ● Mar. 4, 2024
She was orienting her songs around social concerns.
From New York Times ● Feb. 21, 2024
This is perhaps the most orienting part of the geek experience for many lads like Jesse: They see the Net as a separate world, their world.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
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.
