orphan

noun
UK: /ˈɔː.fən/
US: /ˈɔːr.fən/

  1. A child whose parents are dead.

    1. The war left many children as an orphan.
    2. After the tragic accident, the young girl became an orphan and was raised by her aunt.

  2. Something that has been abandoned or lost.

    1. This old project is an orphan now.
    2. The company considered the outdated software an orphan, no longer supported or developed.

Synonyms

waif bereave abandoned
orphan transitive-verb

  1. To cause a child to become an orphan.

    1. The disease could orphan many children.
    2. The war threatened to orphan a whole generation of children, leaving them without families.

  2. To abandon or leave without support.

    1. Don't orphan your old ideas after changes.
    2. The company decided to orphan the project, leaving the team without resources or direction.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "orphan" in English means: A child whose parents are dead., Something that has been abandoned or lost..

The phonetic transcription of "orphan" is /ˈɔː.fən/ in British English and /ˈɔːr.fən/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "orphan": waif, bereave, abandoned.

Example usage of "orphan": "The war left many children as an orphan.". More examples on the page.