sort
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
How often you will meet it
Rank 361 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 55,468 times across 175,160 chapters — 0.026% of every word in the library.
It belongs to the first 500 words, the band worth learning before any other.
What it means
noun
- a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality also: kind, form, variety sculpture is a form of artwhat kinds of desserts are there?
- an approximate definition or example she wore a sort of magenta dressshe served a creamy sort of dessert thing
- a person of a particular character or nature what sort of person is he?he's a good sort
- an operation that segregates items into groups according to a specified criterion also: sorting the bottleneck in mail delivery is the process of sorting
verb
- examine in order to test suitability also: screen, screen out, sieve screen these samplesscreen the job applicants
- arrange or order by classes or categories also: classify, class, assort, sort out, separate How would you classify these pottery shards--are they prehistoric?
sort in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
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I have no fear of anything of the sort.
The Betrayal · E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim · Chapter 1
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It was not conscience that made me do so: it was a sort of cowardice.
The Picture of Dorian Gray · Oscar Wilde · Chapter 1
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The director should make every effort to guard against stage waits and delays of every sort.
The White Christmas and other Merry · Walter Ben Hare · Chapter 1
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Every thing I got into its place, then made a sort of a dresser, and another table.
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures · Daniel Defoe · Chapter 1
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This boy, of no phenomenal sort, had one marked quality--when he had made a decision he acted on it.
The Courage of the Commonplace · Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews · Chapter 1