orient
verbOPAL W
/ˈɔːrient/
/ˈɔːrient/
(also orientate)
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they orient | /ˈɔːrient/ /ˈɔːrient/ |
| he / she / it orients | /ˈɔːrients/ /ˈɔːrients/ |
| past simple oriented | /ˈɔːrientɪd/ /ˈɔːrientɪd/ |
| past participle oriented | /ˈɔːrientɪd/ /ˈɔːrientɪd/ |
| -ing form orienting | /ˈɔːrientɪŋ/ /ˈɔːrientɪŋ/ |
- [usually passive] orient somebody/something (to/towards somebody/something) to direct somebody/something towards something; to make or adapt somebody/something for a particular purpose
- Our students are oriented towards science subjects.
- policies oriented to the needs of working mothers
- We run a commercially oriented operation.
- Neither of them is politically oriented (= interested in politics).
- orient yourself to find your position in relation to everything that is around or near you
- The mountaineers found it hard to orient themselves in the fog.
- orient yourself to make yourself familiar with a new situation
- It took him some time to orient himself in his new school.
compare disorientate
Word Originlate Middle English: via Old French from Latin orient- ‘rising or east’, from oriri ‘to rise’.