reorient
Americanverb (used with or without object)
adjective
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of reorient
Explanation
When you get lost, you can reorient yourself with a compass. Reorient can also be used figuratively. You got off track with your college plans, but now you have reoriented yourself, and you are applying for the fall semester. The verb reorient has orient as its base. Orient is from the Latin word orientem, which refers to the sun rising in the East. In fact the verb orient meant to face East, so reorient literally means to face East again. Today, reorient is to adjust to new circumstances or positions. The curriculum will reorient student learning goals, but it also means you have to learn the new, new, new math.
Vocabulary lists containing reorient
Ghost Squad
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Bodega Dreams
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Shout
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Even if Warsh wants to reorient the Fed around trimmed mean measures of inflation, he can’t do it alone.
From Barron's • May 11, 2026
"I try to sort of help reorient people that, no, there is a public interest, and broadcast is different."
From BBC • Mar. 15, 2026
War is never a good thing—but it can reorient an economy in some positive ways.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026
Since our grief is less of a ready-made commodity lately, we can reorient it around ourselves, a little safer and more sovereign from the gnawing public gaze.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026
I open one of the doors off the main corridor, hoping to find a window so I can reorient myself, but I find only a ransacked laboratory, beakers and test tubes scattered across each counter.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
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.
