disorient

verb

dis·​ori·​ent (ˌ)dis-ˈȯr-ē-ˌent 

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

: confuse

Synonyms of disorient

• confuse
• bewilder
• perplex
• baffle
• puzzle

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

According to quantum mechanics, even at absolute zero, particles retain some energy and remain disoriented – their quantum ground state. —Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 6 Apr. 2026

Parsing the publications side by side can be disorienting. —Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 6 Apr. 2026

Her early death, after an illness that the father initially contrives to ignore then notices just in time to capture her desperation in a fine sketch, leaves Mimí utterly disoriented, yearning only to achieve a level of self-control and detachment that will spare him their tumultuous struggle. —Tim Parks, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026

At a recent promotional event at the Million Dollar Theater in Los Angeles, onlookers described Minnelli as appearing fragile and occasionally disoriented during a Q&A session. —Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1655, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for disorient

• misrepresent
• accent
• advent
• ascent
• assent
• augment
• cement
• consent
• dement
• descent
• detent
• dissent

Kids 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