orphannoun [ C ]
uk/ˈɔː.fən/us/ˈɔːr.fən/C2 a child whose parents are dead:
The civil war is making orphans of many children.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Parents & children
- babyhood
- bastard
- child abuse
- child-friendly
- conjoined twins
- identical twin
- illegitimate
- latchkey kid
- legitimate
- love child
- motherhood
- motherless
- patter
- quad
- quadruplet
- quintuplet
- sextuplet
- Siamese twins
- twin
- without issue idiom
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orphanverb [ T usually passive ]
uk/ˈɔː.fən/us/ˈɔːr.fən/to make someone an orphan:
He was orphaned as a baby (= his parents died when he was a baby).
The children were orphaned by the war (= their parents were killed in the war).
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Parenting & caring for children
- adopt
- adopted
- adoption
- adoptive
- attachment parenting
- bring sb up
- child-rearing
- childless
- childminder
- counsellor
- custodial
- non-custodial
- nursemaid
- nursery nurse
- nurture
- one-parent family
- pediatrician
- upbringing
- visitation
- wean
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