reorient

verb

re·​ori·​ent (ˌ)rē-ˈȯr-ē-ˌent How to pronounce reorient (audio)
reoriented; reorienting

transitive verb

: to orient (someone or something) again or differently: such as
a
: to change the orientation or direction of (something or someone)
reorient the antenna
reoriented herself so she was facing north
b
: to reacquaint (someone, especially oneself) with a situation, environment, etc.
woke up and reoriented myself to my surroundings
… returning servicewomen and men struggling to reorient themselves to civilian life.Molly Callahan
c
: to change the goal or emphasis of (something or someone)
… I stumbled into motherhood and was bewildered at … the volte-face required to reorient myself, my values and my way of life …Madeleine Bunting
… lacks nearly every resource necessary to reorient its archaic industrial economy …David Remnick
The long-term potential of vast databases of genomic data to … reorient the debate on medical priorities …Larry Downes and Paul Nunes
also : to direct (something) toward the interests of a different group
reorienting its policy priorities to the working class. Franklin Foer
reorientation noun
plural reorientations
Many soldiers also find blogging a useful way to help deal with reorientation to civilian life … Brad Knickerbocker

Examples of reorient in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
The changes meant that Donnelly had to reorient her portrayal of Joan with just a few weeks of rehearsal. Brent Lang, Variety, 18 Oct. 2024 The big picture: Trump rose to power with the backing of the working class, then reoriented the party to focus on them as much as big business. Jim Vandehei, Axios, 11 Oct. 2024 Companies are still responding to the trade war Trump kicked off with China in his first term by reorienting their cost structures and supply chains, says Coe, and Trump’s latest proposals are far more extreme. Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2024 As the war takes a deeper toll on her family, the kindness of strangers keeps her alive and reorients her entire worldview in the process. Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 3 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for reorient 

Word History

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of reorient was in 1877

Dictionary Entries Near reorient

Cite this Entry

“Reorient.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reorient. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!