alignment

American  

[uh-lahyn-muhnt] / əˈlaɪn mənt /

Also alinement

noun

• alignments
  plural

1. an adjustment to a line; arrangement in a straight line.

2. the line or lines so formed.

3. the proper adjustment of the components of an electronic circuit, machine, etc., for coordinated functioning.

   The front wheels of the car are out of alignment.

4. a state of agreement or cooperation among persons, groups, nations, etc., with a common cause or viewpoint.

5. a ground plan of a railroad or highway.

6. Archaeology. a line or an arrangement of parallel or converging lines of upright stones or menhirs.

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alignment British  

/ əˈlaɪnmənt /

noun

1. arrangement in a straight line

2. the line or lines formed in this manner

3. alliance or union with a party, cause, etc

4. proper or desirable coordination or relation of components

5. a ground plan of a railway, motor road, etc

6. archaeol an arrangement of one or more ancient rows of standing stones, of uncertain significance

7. psychol integration or harmonization of aims, practices, etc within a group

8. psychol identification with or matching of the behaviour, thoughts, etc of another person

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonalinement
  noun
• realignment
  noun
• self-alignment
  noun
• self-alinement
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• alignments
  plural

Etymology

Origin of alignment

First recorded in 1780–90; align + -ment; replacing earlier alignement, from French

Explanation

The noun alignment refers to the correct positioning of something. If you check the alignment of your feet when running, you're checking to make sure they're not pointing to either side, but going straight ahead. Alignment has to do with adjusting something so it's in the right place. If you take your car in for a wheel alignment, the mechanic will make sure the wheels are on straight. Alignment can also mean following directions or being in agreement. Your school has to act in alignment with state education rules. If you and your brother both believe that poodles should be banned in your town, then you are in alignment on the issue of poodles.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

alignment alignments

"By carefully tracking the direction the radio waves and X-rays oscillate as the magnetar rotates, the team found that the alignment of 1E1547's magnetic and rotational poles were ideal for detecting vacuum birefringence."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 18, 2026

An eclipse happens when the sun, moon and earth are in alignment.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

This failure, the authors explain, was driven by a violation of incentive alignment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

The shadow cast by the alignment of Sun and Moon creates a strange twilight during which temperatures drop, shadows appear at strange angles and some animals go to sleep.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

The first time I tried, I didn’t have the proper alignment, and the collar snapped forward but did not lock.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins

"On the contrary, we need a multilateralism that is more deeply rooted in the people and not just in governments, biases or economic lobbying. We need new alignments, new alliances."

From Barron's ● Apr. 27, 2026

The long-term consequences could outlast the war itself, reshaping regional alignments in ways that leave Iran more isolated.

From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2026

Although such alignments are unlikely at any given moment, Titan's outward migration sometimes creates these resonances.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 27, 2026

He reshuffled diplomatic alignments to buy time, giving the U.S. a stronger position by the following decade.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025

New power alignments had coalesced without him and he was at a loss to cope with them.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

Related Words

• adjustment