noun · neutral
orphan
UK/ˈɔːfən/US/ˈɔːrfən/OR·phan
a child whose parents are dead or who has been left by their parents
Examples
“After the conflict, many children became orphans.”
“They decided to adopt an orphan from the local centre.”
“The orphan was taken to an orphanage for care.”
Band 8 sentence
“The humanitarian crisis left a generation of orphans who required not only shelter but long-term psychological support.”
Collocations
- become an orphan
- adopt an orphan
Word family
Common mistakes
Many orphan live in that house.→Many orphans live in that house.
She became orphan after her parents died.→She became an orphan after her parents died.
They put the children in an orphan.→They put the children in an orphanage.
Say it for a higher band
5child→6parentless→7+orphan
Synonyms
parentless child
Easily confused
abandoned
“The abandoned child had no one to care for her.”
Related words
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In Family & Relationships
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