sort meaning

UK /sɔːt/ US /sɔrt/ 1 syllable

sort (noun): a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality.

sort has 6 meanings in this dictionary, as noun and verb.

sort as a noun

  1. a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
    • sculpture is a form of art
    • what kinds of desserts are there?

    Synonyms: kind, form, variety

    Type of: category

    Kinds: description, type, antitype, art form, style, flavor, color, species, genus, brand, genre, like

  2. an approximate definition or example
    • she wore a sort of magenta dress
    • she served a creamy sort of dessert thing

    Type of: similarity

  3. a person of a particular character or nature
    • what sort of person is he?
    • he's a good sort

    Type of: person

  4. an operation that segregates items into groups according to a specified criterion
    • the bottleneck in mail delivery is the process of sorting

    Synonyms: sorting

    Type of: operation

sort as a verb

  1. examine in order to test suitability
    • screen these samples
    • screen the job applicants

    Synonyms: screen, screen out, sieve

    Type of: choose

  2. arrange or order by classes or categories
    • How would you classify these pottery shards--are they prehistoric?

    Synonyms: classify, class, assort, sort out, separate

    Type of: categorize

    Kinds: unitize, catalogue, isolate, refer, reclassify, size, dichotomize, pigeonhole, group, grade, count

    Related forms: sorter, sorting

How to pronounce sort

sort is pronounced /sɔːt/ in British English and /sɔrt/ in American English. It has 1 syllable.

Words that rhyme with sort

Word lists: words starting with SO · words ending in RT · 4-letter words

More about sort on Wikipedia.