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
Brous is too progressive for some, especially in a disorienting age of recrimination and divisive outrage.
—
Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
Bruce Frankel claims he was injured when the officer restrained him while he was disoriented after the seizure.
—Cameron MacDonald, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024
Then, when the sunlight re-appeared, the bees seemed disoriented, according to a paper published in the Annals of the Entomological Society of America after the 2017 eclipse.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 3 Apr. 2024
Despite the team appearing disoriented in various phases of the game, the return of one player to her peak performance provided reassurance to the fans: Delphine Cascarino!
—Assile Toufaily, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Waxahatchee’s new album, Tigers Blood, due out March 22 on Anti- Records, seems poised to push her even higher, toward the kind of success that can be disorienting for a musician who started off touring in a $900 van that was prone to breakdowns.
—Andy Cush, Pitchfork, 12 Mar. 2024
Advertisement Attempting to process the film’s anxiety-inducing sound design and disorienting sense of intense, imminent danger will be difficult for anyone, so the idea of immediately standing in front of an audience and coherently speaking about it seems near impossible.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
The atmosphere is subtly disorienting, a bit unnerving, as in a casino or an elite art fair during its early hours.
—Andrew Russeth, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Its sound design is cacophonous, emphasizing every footstep, breath and gunshot to a disorienting degree, despite being rooted in the POV of characters whose hearing, and whose relationship to atmospheric sound, is ostensibly run-of-the-mill.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Mar. 2024
Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
Bruce Frankel claims he was injured when the officer restrained him while he was disoriented after the seizure.
—Cameron MacDonald, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024
Then, when the sunlight re-appeared, the bees seemed disoriented, according to a paper published in the Annals of the Entomological Society of America after the 2017 eclipse.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 3 Apr. 2024
Despite the team appearing disoriented in various phases of the game, the return of one player to her peak performance provided reassurance to the fans: Delphine Cascarino!
—Assile Toufaily, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Waxahatchee’s new album, Tigers Blood, due out March 22 on Anti- Records, seems poised to push her even higher, toward the kind of success that can be disorienting for a musician who started off touring in a $900 van that was prone to breakdowns.
—Andy Cush, Pitchfork, 12 Mar. 2024
Advertisement Attempting to process the film’s anxiety-inducing sound design and disorienting sense of intense, imminent danger will be difficult for anyone, so the idea of immediately standing in front of an audience and coherently speaking about it seems near impossible.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
The atmosphere is subtly disorienting, a bit unnerving, as in a casino or an elite art fair during its early hours.
—Andrew Russeth, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Its sound design is cacophonous, emphasizing every footstep, breath and gunshot to a disorienting degree, despite being rooted in the POV of characters whose hearing, and whose relationship to atmospheric sound, is ostensibly run-of-the-mill.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Mar. 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 19 Apr. 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—Journal of the American Medical Association
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