orphan
/ˈɔɹfən/ verb C1- To deprive of parents (used almost exclusively in the passive). · What do you do when you come across two orphaned polar bear cubs?
- To make unavailable, as by removing the last remaining pointer or reference to. · When you removed that image tag, you orphaned the resized icon.· Removing categories orphans pages from the main category tree.
Plural orphan · He/she/it orphans · Past orphaned · Past participle orphaned · -ing form orphaning
Verb forms
- Base form
- orphan
- He/she/it
- orphans
- Past
- orphaned
- Past participle
- orphaned
- -ing form
- orphaning
Phrasal verbs and expressions
From the library
When Dorothy, who was an orphan, first came to her, Aunt Em had been so startled by the child’s laughter that she would scream and press her hand upon her heart whenever Dorothy’s merry voice reached her ears; and she still looked at the little girl with wonder that she could find anything to laugh at.
We’re getting a little boy from an orphan asylum in Nova Scotia and he’s coming on the train tonight.”
“Yes, of course,” said Marilla, as if getting boys from orphan asylums in Nova Scotia were part of the usual spring work on any well-regulated Avonlea farm instead of being an unheard of innovation.
From an orphan asylum!
Other matches
Learn orphan in real texts
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