# orphan

/ˈɔɹfən/ (US) · /ˈɔːfən/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/orphan
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. a child without parents

noun · CEFR B2

a child whose parents have both died.

For teachers: a person, typically a minor, whose parents are deceased.

- The young boy became an orphan after his parents died in a car accident.
- The charity provides essential support and education for orphans who have lost their families to the ongoing conflict in the region.

### 2. typography

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

the first line of a new paragraph that appears alone at the bottom of a page.

For teachers: a single line of type at the beginning of a paragraph that is isolated at the bottom of a printed column or page.

- The editor asked me to fix the orphan at the bottom of page five.
- Professional typesetting software includes automated features to prevent orphans and widows from disrupting the visual flow of the text.

Usage: Often paired with the term 'widow' in the context of page layout.

### 3. computing

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a piece of data or a computer process that has no connection to a main program or user.

For teachers: an object, file, or process that remains in a system after its parent process has terminated or its reference has been deleted.

- The system administrator had to clear out several orphan files to save space.
- Orphan processes can consume significant system resources if the operating system fails to terminate them after the main application crashes.

### 4. to lose parents

verb · CEFR B2

to cause someone to become an orphan.

For teachers: to deprive a child of their parents, typically through death.

- The war orphaned thousands of children in just a few months.
- The sudden epidemic orphaned many infants, placing an immense strain on the local community's ability to provide foster care.

Usage: Almost exclusively used in the passive voice ('was orphaned').

### 5. without support

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal

describing something that has been left alone or has no support.

For teachers: deprived of parents or, figuratively, left without a source of support or a provider.

- The orphan technology was no longer supported by the original company.
- The project became an orphan initiative after the primary sponsor withdrew funding during the second quarter.

## Examples

- The young orphan was raised by his kind aunt.
- After the war, the government established several new homes to care for every orphan in the region.
- The software's layout engine automatically adjusts line spacing to ensure that no orphan is left at the top of a printed page, maintaining a professional aesthetic.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.