align

verb

ə-ˈlīn 

variants or less commonly aline

aligned also alined; aligning also alining; aligns also alines

transitive verb

1

: to bring into line or alignment

aligned the books on the shelf

2

: to array on the side of or against a party or cause

He aligned himself with the protesters.

intransitive verb

1

: to get or fall into line

He aligned with his friends against a common enemy.

2

: to be in or come into precise adjustment or correct relative position

Negative ends of molecules align with positive ends of other molecules.

aligner noun

Examples of align in a Sentence

He aligned the two holes so he could put the screw through them.

The two parts of the machine are not properly aligned.

The text aligns with the bottom of the picture.

The schools had to align their programs with state requirements.

She is aligning with other senators to oppose his nomination.

Recent Examples on the Web

The strongest launches are aligned across the entire organization, with executive leadership, product, engineering, marketing and sales all working from the same song sheet to make the launch a success. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

Getting players who align with Reaves and Dončić’s timeline was a large part of Los Angeles’ plan, according to team sources. — Dan Woike, New York Times, 2 July 2026

The company said closer collaboration with GM will also help align future product development, optimize memory at the system level, and prepare upcoming technologies for deployment in future vehicle platforms. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 2 July 2026

The remark aligns with Amazon’s goal of launching Leo’s satellite internet service for customers sometime in mid-2026, following years of work and delays. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 2 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

French aligner, from Old French, from a- (from Latin ad-) + ligne line, from Latin linea

First Known Use

circa 1693, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing align

• align oneself with

Rhymes for align

• affine
• airline
• aline
• assign
• baseline
• beamline
• benign
• bloodline
• bovine
• brucine
• byline
• canine

Kids Definition

align

verb

variants also aline

ə-ˈlīn 

1

: to bring into or be in line or alignment

2

: to cause to be for or against something (as a belief or political party)

aligned himself with the opposition

aligner noun