realign
Britishverb
Explanation
When you realign something, you return it to a former position or place. If you break your arm roller skating, a doctor will have to set the bone, or realign it, before she puts on a cast. We realign things physically when we line them back up or restore them to a previous balance. The alignment on your car is what makes it drive straight — all four wheels should be perfectly lined up. If they're not, a mechanic can realign them. We can also realign things figuratively, like when a political party realigns itself, or attempts to line its positions up with what's important to voters.
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.
She had surgery to reattach her ear and scalp to her head and then needed rehabilitation for two years, wearing a special suit to realign her body and allow her to walk independently again.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
The company is reducing and restructuring roles across the company to optimize operations and realign the company toward a new brand-centric operating model, a Mattel spokesperson told The Times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2026
Porsche expects earnings this year to be hit by several hundred million euros of costs as the German luxury sports-car maker continues to realign its strategy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 11, 2026
The Chinese government on Wednesday said Its exports exceeded imports by $1.19 trillion, up almost 20% year over year and demonstrating China’s ability to realign its export markets.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 14, 2026
And Father perked up as he showed the Whitlaws how to realign them into another shape and told the story of that.
From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep
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.
