1
: a child deprived by death of one or usually both parents
He became an orphan when his parents died in a car accident.
2
: a young animal that has lost its mother
feeding calves that are orphans
3
: one deprived of some protection or advantage
orphans of the storm
refugee orphans of the war
4
: a first line (as of a paragraph) separated from its related text and appearing at the bottom of a printed page or column
orphan
adjective
Examples of orphan in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 20 Nov. 2024
The journey there is slightly different than before, with some creative liberties taken, like adding new character to Kiryu’s family of fellow orphans and some changes made to the origins of supporting players Akira Nishikiyama (Kento Kaku) and Yumi Sawamura (Yuumi Kawai).
—Isaiah Colbert, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2024
Kelli Bender, People.com, 15 Oct. 2024
That means orphaning of dependent young by the thousands.
—Thomas Pool, The Denver Post, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for orphan 
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Noun
The core of the book is the passionate and tragic love story between Heathcliff, an orphan adopted by Mr. Earnshaw, and Mr. Earnshaw’s daughter, Catherine.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 20 Nov. 2024
The journey there is slightly different than before, with some creative liberties taken, like adding new character to Kiryu’s family of fellow orphans and some changes made to the origins of supporting players Akira Nishikiyama (Kento Kaku) and Yumi Sawamura (Yuumi Kawai).
—Isaiah Colbert, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2024
Verb
The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT), an animal welfare organization that rescues and rehabilitates orphaned elephants, saved Chaimu in 2009.
—Kelli Bender, People.com, 15 Oct. 2024
That means orphaning of dependent young by the thousands.
—Thomas Pool, The Denver Post, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for orphan
Dictionary Entries Near orphan
Cite this Entry
“Orphan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/orphan. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
orphan
2 of 2 verb
orphaned; orphaning
ˈȯrf-(ə-)niŋ 
: to cause to become an orphan
children orphaned by war
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