orphanage

noun

or·​phan·​age ˈȯr-fə-nij 

ˈȯrf-nij

1

: the state of being an orphan

2

: an institution for the care of orphans

Examples of orphanage in a Sentence

After the death of his parents, he was raised in an orphanage.

Recent Examples on the Web

The program’s origins trace back to a Dallas Christian radio station, KCBI, whose general manager visited Russian orphanages and saw children sharing shoes from a basket by the door. —Abraham Nudelstejer, Dallas Morning News, 15 Mar. 2026

The author, who's Jewish, helped repair a Christian orphanage run by an elderly pastor. —Denise Schrier Cetta, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026

Adoption agencies paid hospitals and orphanages for newborns and other children, and in some cases switched children’s identities to keep adoptions moving when a child died, was too sick to travel, or was reclaimed by birth families. —ABC News, 25 Feb. 2026

Born in Iran in the 1970s, the woman doesn't know what happened to her birth parents or why she was placed in an orphanage. —Juliana Kim, NPR, 24 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

orphan entry 1 + -age, after Middle French orphelinage

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

orphanage

noun

or·​phan·​age ˈȯrf-(ə-)nij 

: an institution for the care of orphans