reorient

verb

re·​ori·​ent (ˌ)rē-ˈȯr-ē-ˌent 

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

(ˌ)rē-ˌȯr-ē-ən-ˈtā-shən 

-ˌen-

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

Recording stops and starts without a hitch; the joystick movements instantly spin the motors; the rear trigger reorients the phone; and the zoom dial zooms the camera view when rotated. —PCMAG, 18 Feb. 2025

The volcanic chemistry between Powell and Adria Arjona, erupting in a Notes-app role-play game that threatens to burn a hole through the screen, reorients the film’s primary focus from its criminal plot to its subtext about discovering your best self in someone else. —Charles Bramesco, Vulture, 10 Feb. 2025

The aid freeze is part of a broader effort by Trump to reorient the federal government, and includes gutting the U.S. Agency for International Development. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 4 Feb. 2025

Both agencies are critical for Trump's push to reorient federal policy around greater resource extraction and less emphasis on climate change. —Ben Geman, Axios, 4 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined above