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

On Friday, another militia group aligned with Iran – this one based in Iraq – launched drone attacks on Saudi Arabia’s vital East-West oil pipeline to the coast, forcing its closure. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 20 Sep. 2026

The serial numbers on those documents appeared to align with the sequence of the Blast files, forming a consistent chronological progression. — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026

Today, some of Nashville’s biggest stars have aligned themselves with (or shrewdly eschewed criticism of) a political movement that has denigrated countless demographic groups, including Punjabi immigrants. — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026

Behavioral assessments help reveal how individual traits — such as whether a person is more introverted or extroverted, decisive or collaborative — align with other team members. — Karla Vallecillo, Hartford Courant, 18 Sep. 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