disorient

verb

dis·​ori·​ent (ˌ)dis-ˈȯr-ē-ˌent How to pronounce disorient (audio)
disoriented; disorienting; disorients

transitive verb

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

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
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.
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 

Word History

Etymology

French désorienter, from dés- dis- + orienter to orient

First Known Use

1655, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of disorient was in 1655

Dictionary Entries Near disorient

Cite this Entry

“Disorient.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disorient. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

disorient

verb
dis·​ori·​ent (ˈ)dis-ˈōr-ē-ˌent How to pronounce disorient (audio)
-ˈȯr-
: to cause to be confused or lost

Medical Definition

disorient

transitive verb
dis·​ori·​ent (ˈ)dis-ˈōr-ē-ˌent, -ˈȯr- How to pronounce disorient (audio)
: to produce a state of disorientation in : disorientate
the next day the patient was disoriented but not comatoseThe Journal of the American Medical Association

More from Merriam-Webster on disorient

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