Definition of disorient
transitive verb
1a : to cause to lose bearings : displace from normal position or relationshipb : to cause to lose the sense of time, place, or identity
2 : confuse
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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 of disorient from the Web
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There's early 20th-century pioneer Edward Weston's disorienting details of mushroom caps and cabbage, and Irving Penn's gloriously gross still lifes -- raw steak, egg, potato chip and butter -- or Fischli & Weiss' playfully moribund sandwich meats.
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In a disorienting transition, Laxe brings us to a seemingly more modern place, where there's a recruiting call for workers.
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During that disorienting period, Bakke began getting counseling through a San Diego County program.
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Mace pepper sprays are designed to temporarily disorient a would-be attacker and give the victim a chance to escape.
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A loggerhead turtle became disoriented early Wednesday morning and crossed a busy four-lane Key West road four times after laying her eggs on a path across the street from Smathers Beach, police said.
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At high speeds, small shadows create disorienting flickers for drivers.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'disorient'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of disorient
French désorienter, from dés- dis- + orienter to orient
First Known Use: 1655
DISORIENT Defined for English Language Learners
disorient
playDefinition of disorient for English Language Learners
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: to make (someone) lost or confused
Medical Dictionary
disorient
playMedical Definition of disorient
: to produce a state of disorientation in : disorientate the next day the patient was disoriented but not comatose—Journal of the American Medical Association
Learn More about disorient
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See words that rhyme with disorient Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for disorient Spanish Central: Translation of disorient Nglish: Translation of disorient for Spanish speakers
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