orphan

[ awr-fuhn ]

/ ˈɔr fən /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for orphan on Thesaurus.com

noun

a child who has lost both parents through death, or, less commonly, one parent.

a young animal that has been deserted by or has lost its mother.

a person or thing that is without protective affiliation, sponsorship, etc.: The committee is an orphan of the previous administration.

Printing.

(especially in word processing) the first line of a paragraph when it appears alone at the bottom of a page.
widow (def. 3b).

adjective

bereft of parents.

of or for orphans: an orphan home.

not authorized, supported, or funded; not part of a system; isolated; abandoned: an orphan research project.

lacking a commercial sponsor, an employer, etc.: orphan workers.

verb (used with object)

to deprive of parents or a parent through death: He was orphaned at the age of four.

Informal. to deprive of commercial sponsorship, an employer, etc.: The recession has orphaned many experienced workers.

QUIZ

FIRE UP YOUR VOCAB FOR A "RED" SYNONYMS QUIZ

No fire engine reds here, only a fierce collection of vibrant words for the color red to test yourself on.

Question 1 of 7

What does "amaranth" mean?

a legendary stone of impenetrable hardness

an imaginary, undying flower

a mythical creature

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of orphan

1425–75; late Middle English (noun) <Late Latin orphanus destitute, without parents <Greek orphanós bereaved; akin to Latin orbus bereaved

OTHER WORDS FROM orphan

or·phan·hood, nounhalf-orphan, nounun·or·phaned, adjective

Words nearby orphan

orotund, Oroya fever, oro y plata, Orozco, Orpen, orphan, orphanage, orphan disease, orphan drug, orphans' court, orphan virus

How to use orphan in a sentence

Because they have not gone through the same extensive breeding as corn, soy, and wheat, the orphans have more untapped potential.
New Veggies for a Warming Planet - Issue 92: Frontiers|Viviane Callier|November 4, 2020|Nautilus
The recent discoveries suggest that focusing on this handful of genes could accelerate the improvement of orphan crops, or even enable the de novo domestication of wild plants with crop potential.
New Veggies for a Warming Planet - Issue 92: Frontiers|Viviane Callier|November 4, 2020|Nautilus
Like the Romanian orphans, these kids had lower cortisol levels than nonadopted children who had no behavioral problems.
Puberty can repair the brain’s stress responses after hardship early in life|Esther Landhuis|August 28, 2020|Science News
Each held a sample of saliva from one of the 2- and 3-year-old orphans.
Puberty may reboot the brain and behaviors|Esther Landhuis|August 27, 2020|Science News For Students

This confirmed Gunnar’s previous research on Romanian orphans and international adoptees living in the United States.
Puberty may reboot the brain and behaviors|Esther Landhuis|August 27, 2020|Science News For Students
He gave us a little orphan girl in a red wig belting “Tomorrow.”
Out of the Birdcage: How Mike Nichols Made Gay Culture Mainstream|Kevin Fallon|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She described how “in certain circles [it] is the moral equivalent of eating a baby orphan.”
Let’s Get Rid of ‘Plus-Size’ for Good|Emily Shire|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Scribbling notes in the classroom next door is Justine, a shy 17-year-old orphan who is the only female in her class.
Victims No More: Congo’s Badass Women Mechanics|Nina Strochlic|June 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Metronomic therapy is a quintessential financial orphan, Vikas Sukhatme says.
How Big Pharma Holds Back in the War on Cancer|ProPublica|April 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The financial orphan problem points to a deeper issue with the way cancer drugs are developed.
How Big Pharma Holds Back in the War on Cancer|ProPublica|April 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You love her, your beautiful Finnish orphan brought up in France and romantically met in London, with the adorable name?
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
She wore no denim uniform, such as Amy had mentioned on a previous occasion as being the mark of the usual “orphan.”
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn|Margaret Penrose
It was the home that had sheltered her orphan childhood; she had never slept a night from under its moss-grown roof.
The World Before Them|Susanna Moodie
George Gordon: Scotch birth, so far as can learn; left an orphan; lived mostly in London.
Elster's Folly|Mrs. Henry Wood
You shall not be the loser, Mrs. Martin, by the attention you may pay to this poor orphan girl.
The World Before Them|Susanna Moodie

British Dictionary definitions for orphan

orphan

/ (ˈɔːfən) /

noun

a child, one or (more commonly) both of whose parents are dead
(as modifier)an orphan child

printing the first line of a paragraph separated from the rest of the paragraph by occurring at the foot of a page

verb

(tr) to deprive of one or both parents

Word Origin for orphan

C15: from Late Latin orphanus, from Greek orphanos; compare Latin orbus bereaved

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

orphan

Origin of orphan

OTHER WORDS FROM orphan

Words nearby orphan

Words related to orphan

How to use orphan in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for orphan

Word Origin for orphan