get one's bearings

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Conspiracy theories can be comforting, a way to get one’s bearings during rapid change in the culture or the economy, by providing narratives that bring order.

From New York Times • Apr. 29, 2021

There is not much on the bay, but enough to get one’s bearings as the sky grows dim.

From New York Times • Jul. 11, 2012

Shelley A. Wilson Harford, Pa. Your Essay asserts that "it is difficult to get one's bearings in time if one stays too long on Oahu."

From Time Magazine Archive

For the armchair strategist who cannot visit the battlefields, or for anyone who simply wonders where all the shooting was, detailed maps drawn at the time are the only satisfactory way to get one's bearings.

From Time Magazine Archive

It isn't easy to get one's bearings all at once; but before we take any further irretrievable step I am bound, in conscience, to tell you how the land lies.

From The Great Amulet by Diver, Maud