orphan Definition
- 1a child whose parents are dead
- 2a person or thing that is without protective affiliation, support, or the like
Using orphan: Examples
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how "orphan" can be used in various situations through the following examples!
Example
She was left an orphan at the age of six.
Example
The organization helps orphans and abandoned children.
Example
The company is an orphan in the industry, with no major investors or partners.
Example
The project was an orphan after the original team disbanded.
orphan Synonyms and Antonyms
Idioms Using orphan
Example
He was left an orphan at a young age and had to fend for himself.
to take up a charitable or social cause that has been neglected or overlooked
Example
The organization decided to adopt an orphan cause and focus on providing aid to refugees.
Example
After the company went bankrupt, its employees were left orphaned of the storm, struggling to find new jobs.
Phrases with orphan
Example
She was an adopted orphan, raised by her aunt and uncle.
a pharmaceutical agent developed specifically to treat a rare medical condition, which would otherwise be unprofitable to produce
Example
The company received government funding to develop an orphan drug for a rare genetic disorder.
Example
The library is digitizing a collection of orphan works to make them accessible to the public.
Origins of orphan
from Late Middle English 'orphen', from earlier 'ourifen', from Old French 'orphelin', from Latin 'orphanus', from Greek 'orphanos'
Summary: orphan in Brief
The term 'orphan' [ˈɔːfən] refers to a child whose parents have died, or a person or thing without protective affiliation. Examples include 'She was left an orphan at the age of six.' and 'The company is an orphan in the industry.' The term extends into phrases like 'adopted orphan,' and idioms like 'to be left an orphan of the storm,' denoting being left alone during a difficult time.