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DictionaryorientDirectional alignment
verb

orient

OR-ee-ent/ˈɔːrient/

To position something in relation to its surroundings.

The hiker orients the map to match the river and mountain ahead.

A Black woman hiker rotating a paper map to align it with a river and mountain visible ahead, map simple with no letters.
Etymology
orientLatinrising sun, east

Latin oriens names the east through the rising sun. To orient something first meant to face it east, then to position it by compass directions or other surrounding reference points.

In context

The Home Depot3:09
locked and put the wheel direction control in the desired position then pull the wheel drive engage lever adjust the travel speed and navigate the trencher to the starting position orient the machine to start the trench
Trencher Rental | The Home Depot Rental

More examples

  • Orient the map so that north points away from you.
  • We oriented the solar panels toward the south.
  • The campus tour helps new students orient themselves.

Forms

orient · orients · oriented · orienting

orientation noun — Position in relation to a direction.

Similar words

align
Emphasizes placing things along a shared line or direction.
position
Means putting something in a location, not necessarily facing a direction.
face
Specifies the direction toward which something is turned.