reorient

verb

re·​ori·​ent (ˌ)rē-ˈȯr-ē-ˌent 

reoriented; reorienting

transitive verb

: to orient (someone or something) again or differently: such as

a

: to change the orientation or direction of (something or someone)

reorient the antenna

reoriented herself so she was facing north

b

: to reacquaint (someone, especially oneself) with a situation, environment, etc.

woke up and reoriented myself to my surroundings

… returning servicewomen and men struggling to reorient themselves to civilian life.

—Molly Callahan

c

: to change the goal or emphasis of (something or someone)

… I stumbled into motherhood and was bewildered at … the volte-face required to reorient myself, my values and my way of life …

—Madeleine Bunting

… lacks nearly every resource necessary to reorient its archaic industrial economy …

—David Remnick

The long-term potential of vast databases of genomic data to … reorient the debate on medical priorities …

—Larry Downes and Paul Nunes

also : to direct (something) toward the interests of a different group

… reorienting its policy priorities to the working class.

—Franklin Foer

reorientation

(ˌ)rē-ˌȯr-ē-ən-ˈtā-shən 

-ˌen-

noun

plural reorientations

Many soldiers also find blogging a useful way to help deal with reorientation to civilian life …

—Brad Knickerbocker

Examples of reorient in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Trade Over Aid initiative attempts to reorient American engagement toward self-reliance and away from dependency, which are laudable goals. —Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026

West of Hoover Street, the grid reorients itself, straightening into an American-style street grid. —Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026

All of them emerge from the series reoriented and refreshed, though still with much respect paid to Austen herself. —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 7 May 2026

Crisis was quickly averted before any photos were taken as the milliner reoriented his creation atop her head. —Kristen Tauer, Footwear News, 7 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined above