帮助中心

orphan

[ˈɔːfən]

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

Synonyms for orphan

Antonyms for orphan

Idioms Using orphan

  • to lose one's parents through death or abandonment

    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.

  • to be left alone and unprotected during a difficult or tumultuous time

    Example

    After the company went bankrupt, its employees were left orphaned of the storm, struggling to find new jobs.

Phrases with orphan

  • a child who has been legally adopted by someone other than their biological parents

    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.

  • copyrighted works whose owners are difficult or impossible to identify or locate

    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.