alphabetize
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to put or arrange in alphabetical order.
-
to express by or furnish with an alphabet.
verb
-
to arrange in conventional alphabetical order
-
to express by an alphabet
Other Word Forms
- alphabetization noun
- alphabetizer noun
- misalphabetize verb (used with object)
- unalphabetized adjective
Etymology
Origin of alphabetize
Explanation
To alphabetize is to arrange something in order of the letters of the alphabet. You might alphabetize your spices on the rack in you kitchen, with allspice first and za'atar last. Part of a librarian's job is to alphabetize books, both on the shelf and in a computer database. If you put together a directory of club members, you might alphabetize their names, and if you've ever looked up a number in a phone book, you're probably glad the printer alphabetized the listings. Alphabetize comes from alphabet, which is rooted in the first two letters of the Greek alphabet: alpha and beta.
Vocabulary lists containing alphabetize
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.
And instead of organizing the case from top to bottom, I alphabetize each individual shelf so that when it’s time to add a book, I don’t have to shift the entire system.
From New York Times • Feb. 3, 2022
“But if I’m like, I need to go through all those shelves back there and alphabetize my books and dust them and maybe paint the bookshelves,” she said, you might be “procrasticlearing.”
From Washington Post • Jul. 9, 2021
It’s going to be a long list, so you can click on the “Process Name” heading to alphabetize the list for an easier find.
From The Verge • Jul. 6, 2021
“We just want to alphabetize the word honki to make it catchy,” the broadcaster said in a statement Tuesday to The Japan Times.
From Washington Times • Jul. 29, 2015
To arrange alphabetically; as, to alphabetize a list of words.
From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary by Webster, Noah
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
