alignment

noun

variants also alinement
Definition of alignmentnext
as in layout
the way objects in space are arranged in proper relation to one another The alignment of the text with the pictures is off.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of alignment That capability will support alignment between communications systems as spacecraft establish links with other network elements. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026 The ejection of water molecules favors the interaction, supporting the alignment needed for the messy tangle to grow. — Mike McRae 13, New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2026 Its subtext was a curious alignment between decoration and racial anxiety. — Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026 The new terminal also has the same two runways and same number of gates — 14 — as the airport’s previous two-terminal alignment. — Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for alignment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alignment
  1. layout
  2. continuity
  3. distribution
  4. design
  5. orientation
  6. aligning
  7. pattern
  8. structure
Noun
  • According to the layout document, Russian delegates were seated between attendees from South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
  • To accommodate the growth, the fair will also revise its layout.
    — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of layout
Noun
  • The shoot couldn’t run in sequence and was organized by location instead, so Patil tracked her own makeup, hair, body and voice continuity across Selvi’s decline, leaning on continuity photos and long rehearsals with the ensemble.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Relations between criminals and the authorities would become especially cozy; nostalgic references to a lost past would provide a false sense of continuity.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of continuity
Noun
  • The program offers discussions of financing and distribution, opportunities to present unfinished work and pitch projects, and meetings with industry representatives.
    — Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The Irish production and distribution shingle, which specializes in horror and adjacent genre movies, is handling worldwide sales on the film, which recently wrapped principal photography.
    — Ed Meza, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of distribution
Noun
  • Such designs can help militaries integrate new equipment without rebuilding their entire communications infrastructure around a single platform.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The handbag would go on to become one of Fendi’s most celebrated designs.
    — Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of design
Noun
  • Mounting the receiver on a gimbal helps maintain its intended orientation during that maneuver.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Previous studies relied on paleomagnetism, the study of residual magnetic traces in ancient rocks, since the orientation of those magnetic traces would have varied depending upon where that rock was located relative to Earth's magnetic field.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of orientation
Noun
  • The only justice who agreed with Thomas with less frequency was liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, with the two aligning on 54 percent of cases.
    — Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Definition of aligning
Noun
  • The new plans also include more changes to the project's lighting and traffic patterns.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The event also includes homemade cookies, beverages and a commemorative teacup and saucer or a mug with a collectable china pattern.
    — Claire Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of pattern
Noun
  • These structures provide the optical environment needed to generate the comb signals.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The Drama staged this structure in the process of fracturing.
    — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of structure

Browse Nearby Words

aligning
alignment
alignments
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Alignment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alignment. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All