(one's) bearings

(one's) bearings

Knowledge or awareness of one's orientation, position, or abilities relative to one's surroundings or situation. It took me a little while to find my bearings in the new office, but after a week, I felt as if I'd been working there for years. We need to get above the tree line before dark or we'll risk losing our bearings in these woods. Sarah had a little trouble getting her bearings after waking up in the new home for the first time.

See also: bearing

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

*one's bearings

the knowledge of where one is; the knowledge of how one is oriented to one's immediate environment. (*Typically: get ~; find ~; have ~; lose ~; tell one ~.) After he fell, it took Ted a few minutes to get his bearings. Jean found her compass and got her bearings almost immediately.

See also: bearing

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.