disorient
verb
dis·ori·ent
(ˌ)dis-ˈȯr-ē-ˌent 
disoriented; disorienting; disorients
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
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
Many seemed stunned, and somewhat disoriented, to have reached the United States.
—
Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
Many birds migrate overnight and can be disoriented by bright street lights or other nighttime lights.
—Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 7 May 2024
But the result often feels inhuman, if not disorienting.
—Blake Snow, WIRED, 5 May 2024
Earning this title within seconds, Seinfeld was hilariously disoriented during his brief cameo.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 5 May 2024
After waking up disoriented in his car, Chimney was confronted by a carjacker who sped off with his vehicle and threw his phone into the street.
—Breanne L. Heldman, Peoplemag, 3 May 2024
Balla was crashing with McGrady and remembers coming home one night, exhausted and disoriented, to find the drummer enjoying a beer in the backyard with his roommate.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 3 May 2024
From its unique, disorienting point of view, the program revised our thinking about the universe, philosophically and scientifically.
—Rebecca Boyle, Discover Magazine, 23 Apr. 2024
The dot-com boom was a disorienting period for longtime Valley leaders whose interest in money was muted.
—David Streitfeld, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024
Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
Many birds migrate overnight and can be disoriented by bright street lights or other nighttime lights.
—Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 7 May 2024
But the result often feels inhuman, if not disorienting.
—Blake Snow, WIRED, 5 May 2024
Earning this title within seconds, Seinfeld was hilariously disoriented during his brief cameo.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 5 May 2024
After waking up disoriented in his car, Chimney was confronted by a carjacker who sped off with his vehicle and threw his phone into the street.
—Breanne L. Heldman, Peoplemag, 3 May 2024
Balla was crashing with McGrady and remembers coming home one night, exhausted and disoriented, to find the drummer enjoying a beer in the backyard with his roommate.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 3 May 2024
From its unique, disorienting point of view, the program revised our thinking about the universe, philosophically and scientifically.
—Rebecca Boyle, Discover Magazine, 23 Apr. 2024
The dot-com boom was a disorienting period for longtime Valley leaders whose interest in money was muted.
—David Streitfeld, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'disorient.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near disorient
Cite this Entry
“Disorient.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disorient. Accessed 14 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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