sort

[ sawrt ]

noun

1. a particular kind, species, variety, class, or group, distinguished by a common character or nature:

   to develop a new sort of painting;

   nice people, of course, but not really our sort.

   Synonyms: nature, character, rank, order, family, class

2. character, quality, or nature:

   young people of a nice sort.

3. an example of something that is undistinguished or barely adequate:

   He is a sort of poet.

4. manner, fashion, or way:

   We spoke in this sort for several minutes.

5. Printing.
   1. any of the individual characters making up a font of type.
   2. characters of a particular font that are rarely used.
6. an instance of sorting.

verb (used with object)

1. to arrange according to sort, kind, or class; separate into sorts; classify:

   to sort socks;

   to sort eggs by grade.

2. to separate or take from other sorts or from others (often followed by out ): to sort out the children's socks.

   to sort the good from the bad;

   to sort out the children's socks.

3. to assign to a particular class, group, or place (often followed by with, together, etc.):

   to sort people together indiscriminately.

4. Scot. to provide with food and shelter.
5. Computers. to place (records) in order, as numerical or alphabetical, based on the contents of one or more keys contained in each record. Compare key ¹( def 19 ).

verb (used without object)

1. Archaic. to suit; agree; fit.
2. British Dialect. to associate, mingle, or be friendly.

verb phrase

1. 1. to evolve; develop; turn out:

      We'll just have to wait and see how things sort out.

   2. to put in order; clarify:

      After I sort things out here, I'll be able to concentrate on your problem.

sort

/ sɔːt /

noun

1. a class, group, kind, etc, as distinguished by some common quality or characteristic
2. informal.
   type of character, nature, etc

   he's a good sort

3. a more or less definable or adequate example

   it's a sort of review

4. often plural printing any of the individual characters making up a fount of type
5. archaic.
   manner; way

   in this sort we struggled home

6. after a sort
   to some extent
7. of sorts or of a sort
   1. of an inferior kind
   2. of an indefinite kind
8. out of sorts
   not in normal good health, temper, etc
9. sort of informal.
   1. adverb in some way or other; as it were; rather
   2. sentence substitute used to express reservation or qualified assent

      I’m only joking. Sort of

verb

1. tr to arrange according to class, type, etc
2. tr to put (something) into working order
3. tr to arrange (computer information) by machine in an order convenient to the computer user
4. informal.
   trfoll bywith to supply, esp with drugs
5. archaic.
   intr; foll by with, together, etc to associate, as on friendly terms
6. archaic.
   intr to agree; accord

Usage Note

See kind ².

Usage

See kind 2

Derived Forms

• ˈsortable, adjective
• ˈsorter, noun
• ˈsortably, adverb

Other Words From

• sorta·ble adjective
• sorta·bly adverb
• sorter noun
• mis·sort verb
• subsort noun
• sub·sort verb
• sub·sorter noun
• under·sort verb (used with object)
• un·sort verb (used with object)
• un·sorta·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sort¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English noun, from Middle French sorte, from Medieval Latin sort- (stem of sors ) “kind, allotted status or portion, lot,” Latin: originally, “lot (for voting)”; Middle English verb sorten “to allot, arrange, assort,” from Middle French sortir or directly from Latin sortīrī “to draw lots,” derivative of sors; later senses influenced by the noun and by assort

Word History and Origins

Origin of sort¹

C14: from Old French, from Medieval Latin sors kind, from Latin: fate

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. of sorts, Also of a sort.
   1. of a mediocre or poor kind:

      a tennis player of sorts.

   2. of one sort or another; of an indefinite kind.
2. out of sorts,
   1. in low spirits; depressed.
   2. in poor health; indisposed; ill.
   3. in a bad temper; irritable:

      to be out of sorts because of the weather.

   4. Printing. short of certain characters of a font of type.
3. sort of, Informal. in a way; somewhat; rather:

   Their conversation was sort of tiresome.

More idioms and phrases containing sort

see after a fashion (sort) ; all kinds (sorts) of ; bad sort ; it takes all sorts ; kind (sort) of ; nothing of the kind (sort) ; of sorts ; out of sorts .

Example Sentences

I’ve steeled myself against the bigotry and hatred for so long, and I’m so comfortable in my role as a cultural worker, that I feel emboldened by that sort of rhetoric.

From Los Angeles Times

“So, you just have to know that there’s an opportunity for there to be some sort of trick play in there.”

From Los Angeles Times

The staff has to sort through hundreds of fossils.

From Los Angeles Times

“It’s this sort of mentality that they better do this now, before they no longer have the option to do so,” Erwin told Salon in a phone interview.

From Salon

The concession of 42 points is the sort of thing that can sap speed in a defensive line.

From BBC

Related Words

• arrange
• catalogue
• categorize
• comb
• cull
• separate
• sift