reorient
verb
re·ori·ent
(ˌ)rē-ˈȯr-ē-ˌent 
reoriented; reorienting
: 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
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
Madeleine Bunting… lacks nearly every resource necessary to reorient its archaic industrial economy …—David Remnick
David RemnickThe long-term potential of vast databases of genomic data to … reorient the debate on medical priorities …—Larry Downes and Paul Nunes
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
Franklin Foer
reorientation
(ˌ)rē-ˌȯr-ē-ən-ˈtā-shən
noun
-ˌen-
plural reorientations
Many soldiers also find blogging a useful way to help deal with reorientation to civilian life …
—Brad Knickerbocker
Brad Knickerbocker
Examples of reorient in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The summit had been billed as a major reset of relations, and it was closely watched given the context: Both Europe and Britain are trying to figure out how to reorient themselves in a world where America is a less reliable ally.
—Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 19 May 2025
Meanwhile, Australia has radically reoriented its immigration system in its 2024-2025 Federal Budget, dedicating 70% of migration slots to skilled workers with particular emphasis on AI expertise, as Konnecting, an Australian recruiting firm, reports.
—Arafat Kabir, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
Trump planned to reorient America away from engaging with and empowering Iran.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 12 May 2025
For example, continuous airflow allows the machine to reorient itself after running into an obstacle, as well as switch from land to water by adopting a freestyle pattern of movement.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for reorient
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Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 19 May 2025
Meanwhile, Australia has radically reoriented its immigration system in its 2024-2025 Federal Budget, dedicating 70% of migration slots to skilled workers with particular emphasis on AI expertise, as Konnecting, an Australian recruiting firm, reports.
—Arafat Kabir, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
Trump planned to reorient America away from engaging with and empowering Iran.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 12 May 2025
For example, continuous airflow allows the machine to reorient itself after running into an obstacle, as well as switch from land to water by adopting a freestyle pattern of movement.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for reorient
Cite this Entry
“Reorient.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reorient. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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