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
-
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:
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
These findings suggest that birds use magnetic information alongside solar cues to orient themselves during flight.
From Science Daily ● May 31, 2026
With each track, it takes us a moment to orient ourselves to each perspective, figure out who is speaking and what they want.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 6, 2026
Beyond the distant shapes of buildings still standing inside Gaza City, there's almost nothing left to orient you here, or identify the neighbourhoods that once held tens of thousands of people.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2025
Indiana had to orient himself without a compass. panicky.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
Love is being held without bond at Orient Road Jail in Tampa.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
Forced to retire at the age of 28, following persistent knee injuries, he began a long coaching career which included spells in charge at Watford, Swansea City, Millwall, Wolves, Rotherham, Portsmouth and Leyton Orient.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 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
They are hoping to find the passage to the Pacific Ocean and the Orient, and they think the Chickahominy might lead to it.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
The entire fund industry orients products to different types of investors.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 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
This has not yet been achieved with any animal species that orients itself to the Earth's magnetic field.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 13, 2024
Usually, reading the content of such a text orients a visitor to what is about to unfold in the exhibition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 28, 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 only event that seemed more oriented toward entertainment than persuasion was the log-cutting competition.
From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026
The jaw-dropping property is located on a hilltop overlooking L.A. and was “masterfully oriented to command panoramic sunrise-to-sunset city views.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026
Founding Fathers including Washington and Hamilton encouraged “manufactures External link,” though businesses in the early Republic were necessarily small and locally oriented.
From Barron's ● May 2, 2026
At the same time, the inner surface of the jaw, which faces the tongue in humans, was oriented upward.
From Science Daily ● May 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
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
The maps revealed three components of attention, alerting, orienting and executive control.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 29, 2024
Using that tornado analogy with all these countervailing forces, how are you orienting yourself?
From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2023
Mina cranes her head to the sky, orienting herself.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
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.
