align
verb
Simple meaning
To adjust to a line.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
uhlynSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
əˈlaɪn
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To adjust to a line; to range or form in line; to bring into line.
Place in a line or arrange so as to be parallel or straight
intransitive
To form a line; to fall into line.
transitive
To organize in a consistent, defined way, perhaps in an abstract sense.
intransitivereflexive
To identify (oneself) with, match, or support the behaviour, thoughts, etc. of another person, organization, or country.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To adjust to a line; to range or form in line; to bring into line.
Used this way, align is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use align
- “Align the wheels of my car.”verb
- “Align the car with the curb.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Brought into agreement or cooperation on the side of a faction, party, or cause.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
An organization of people (or countries) involved in a pact or treaty.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.