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
Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2025
McPherson was born in 1890 in Ontario to Mildred Kennedy, an orphan who became a teen-age bride.
—Casey Cep, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
Jenni Carlson, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
According to the Oklahoma governor’s office, approximately thirty children were orphaned, 219 children lost at least one parent, 462 people were left homeless, and seven thousand people lost their workplace.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for orphan
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Noun
Being a migrant and an orphan is always behind his decisions.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2025
McPherson was born in 1890 in Ontario to Mildred Kennedy, an orphan who became a teen-age bride.
—Casey Cep, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
Verb
Thirty children were orphaned while another 219 lost at least one parent.
—Jenni Carlson, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
According to the Oklahoma governor’s office, approximately thirty children were orphaned, 219 children lost at least one parent, 462 people were left homeless, and seven thousand people lost their workplace.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for orphan
Cite this Entry
“Orphan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/orphan. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
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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