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to align

to align

89 3.5
To put things in a straight line or in the correct position
  • verb
  • /əˈlaɪn/
translation icon : alinear
  • The devices were selected, adjusted, and aligned in accordance with the manufacturers' specifications.

I'm going to press this to hold to align my eyeballs.

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Examples

  • School psychologists can help schools align their operational procedures with this objective.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Their destination in sight, the transports slowed and began to align themselves on approach vectors.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • OK, so it's like trying to align faces, right?

  • You have to align the mind and the whole body, so that when you tell it to move, it moves as you direct.

    Kipchoge: The Last Milestone (2021)

  • And you can see first step is to glue and align them together.

  • The challenge must then be carefully defined so that it aligns with the objectives of the course.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Establish a unified U.S. approach by aligning the strategies of the executive and legislative branches.

    Academic text (2011)

  • In three days, Venus, Uranus and Neptune will all align in the sky.

    Captain Faggotron Saves the Universe (2023)

  • The breakfast dishes were neatly aligned in the drying rack by the sink.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Before the game starts, make sure to align the goals with the field markings.

Synonyms

to adjust
vsto align
317 2.7

To change something so it is in the right position or works correctly

focuses specifically on placing things into correct spatial relationships
to line up
vsto align
115 2.6

Put people or things in a straight row

includes straight rows but also other correct positional relationships
to realign
vsto align
28 4.9

To move things or ideas into the right position

arranges things correctly the first time rather than repeating the action
to parallel
vsto align
7 4.8

To place something so it runs the same direction and stays the same distance from another

is broader, covering any correct positioning not only equal-distance placement
to even up
vsto align
3 5.3

To make the edges of a pile of papers level and straight

covers overall positioning and relationships beyond just edge leveling
to flush
vsto align
3 6.1

To make one surface level with another

applies more broadly to relationships and straight lines beyond surfaces
to true
vsto align
  • Specialized
1 8.4

To make something exactly straight or level

covers general arranging or positioning, not only precise leveling
to parallelize
vsto align
  • US
7.5

To place things so they lie side by side and run in the same direction

is the more general act of arranging things, not limited to parallelism

Antonyms

to skew
9 4.8

To turn something so it sits at an angle

to misalign
4 6.7

To put parts in the wrong position so they do not line up

to disarrange
1 6.4

To make something messy or not in the right order

Idioms

to the stars align
1 6.8

Different things happen at the right time so something lucky happens

Phrasal Verbs

to align with
82 4.4

To agree with and change to match something

How Aligned

to straighten
114 2.5
to align
89 3.5
to position
159 2.5
to offset
9 4.5
to misalign
4 6.7

Surface Forms

align infinitive
aligned past
aligned past participle
aligning present participle
aligns third person singular

Morphology

align = line (semi-transparent) = a + lign

The connection to 'line' is fairly clear, but the prefixed form and spelling change make the derivation less fully obvious for learners.

Etymology

Align comes from an old word for 'line' and shares the same root as line. So to align something is to put it into a straight 'line' or the correct position.