disorient
verb
dis·ori·ent
(ˌ)dis-ˈȯr-ē-ˌent 
disoriented; disorienting; disorients
1
a
: to cause to lose bearings : displace from normal position or relationship
b
: to cause to lose the sense of time, place, or identity
2
: confuse
Synonyms
Examples of disorient in a Sentence
Thick fog can disorient even an experienced hiker.
troops disoriented by the sudden change in battle plans
Recent Examples on the Web
Officials said relatives arrived at the home in the 800 block of South Main Street in North East Wednesday and found the 34-year-old man unresponsive in the living room and the woman and child disoriented.
—
Todd Karpovich, Baltimore Sun, 5 Dec. 2024
As jarring and disorienting as that can feel, just know that the cards say things are happening as they are supposed to.
—Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Dec. 2024
But as its two leads burrow themselves in the hunt for a guilty party, their journey turns out to be as dirtied and disorienting as the very systems from which the former Soviet country was weening itself, just a few years after their independence.
—Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 25 Nov. 2024
The country as a whole was disoriented, which helped prompt the 1979 revolution and bring Iran’s Islamist regime to power.
—Maria Snegovaya, Foreign Affairs, 25 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for disorient 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Todd Karpovich, Baltimore Sun, 5 Dec. 2024
As jarring and disorienting as that can feel, just know that the cards say things are happening as they are supposed to.
—Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Dec. 2024
But as its two leads burrow themselves in the hunt for a guilty party, their journey turns out to be as dirtied and disorienting as the very systems from which the former Soviet country was weening itself, just a few years after their independence.
—Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 25 Nov. 2024
The country as a whole was disoriented, which helped prompt the 1979 revolution and bring Iran’s Islamist regime to power.
—Maria Snegovaya, Foreign Affairs, 25 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for disorient
Dictionary Entries Near disorient
Cite this Entry
“Disorient.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disorient. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
disorient
verb
dis·ori·ent
(ˈ)dis-ˈōr-ē-ˌent
-ˈȯr-
: to cause to be confused or lost
Medical Definition
disorient
transitive verb
dis·ori·ent
(ˈ)dis-ˈōr-ē-ˌent, -ˈȯr-
: to produce a state of disorientation in : disorientate
the next day the patient was disoriented but not comatose—The Journal of the American Medical Association
The Journal of the American Medical AssociationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share