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 majority of streaming also happens in the first week — but, in further evidence that streaming has reoriented viewing habits, a good amount of a show’s five-week streaming total happens from day eight onward.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 17 June 2025
Given the Republicans’ dominance in Washington and the gaping budget deficit, there’s obviously no immediate prospect of the U.S. government reorienting its priorities to tackle rampant wealth inequality, in the way that Hamilton and his colleagues recommend or in some similar manner.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 16 June 2025
Trump’s appointment of Colby raised concerns among hawks and Israel supporters who saw it as one of a number of signs that the US might look to cut its support for Israel, if not reorient its policy more broadly.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 14 June 2025
To reorient Russian foreign policy in such a way, Putin might have to stop invoking Czar Peter’s 1704 victory in the second Battle of Narva (in present-day Estonia) as a historical precedent for his ambitions.
—Joel Gehrke, The Washington Examiner, 13 June 2025
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Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 17 June 2025
Given the Republicans’ dominance in Washington and the gaping budget deficit, there’s obviously no immediate prospect of the U.S. government reorienting its priorities to tackle rampant wealth inequality, in the way that Hamilton and his colleagues recommend or in some similar manner.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 16 June 2025
Trump’s appointment of Colby raised concerns among hawks and Israel supporters who saw it as one of a number of signs that the US might look to cut its support for Israel, if not reorient its policy more broadly.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 14 June 2025
To reorient Russian foreign policy in such a way, Putin might have to stop invoking Czar Peter’s 1704 victory in the second Battle of Narva (in present-day Estonia) as a historical precedent for his ambitions.
—Joel Gehrke, The Washington Examiner, 13 June 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 8 Jul. 2025.
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