Definition of sort - Reverso English Dictionary
Noun
1.
classificationcategory of things with common characteristics
- There are different sorts of apples.
2.
organizationact of sorting items
- The sort of the files took hours.
3.
evaluationRare UK person evaluated in a certain wayRare UK
- He's a strange sort, isn't he?
4.
typographyDated UK piece of metal type for printingDated UK
- The printer used a sort for each letter.
Verb
1.
categorizeseparate items into categories based on criteria
- She sorted the clothes by color.
2.
- I'll sort the issue by tomorrow.
3.
computingTECH. arrange computer data in a convenient orderTECH.
- The program sorted the data in seconds.
Images of sort

piece of metal type for printing
Expressions with sort
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examine items to organize or understand them
She had to sort through the papers on her desk.
clarify a confusing situation
We need to sort out the misunderstanding.
person with a kind disposition
Grandma is such a good sort, always helping others.
clarify misunderstandings or confusion
Let's sort things out to avoid confusion.
resolve without intervention
Don't worry, the problem will sort itself out.
something similar to what was mentioned
He denied saying anything of the sort.
something completely different from what was mentioned
He claimed it was a gift, but it was nothing of the sort.
having some but not all qualities
He gave an explanation of a sort, but it was incomplete.
organize one's thoughts or feelings
She took a walk to sort herself out after the argument.
generalizes when the exact type is not important
We need some sort of solution quickly.
put things in a new order
She decided to re-sort her books by color.
unique type or category of something
This cake is a special sort of dessert.
including all types or kinds
We saw animals of every sort at the zoo.
having the most negative or undesirable qualities
He is a liar of the worst sort.
type of person someone prefers or likes
He's just not her sort.
unspecified thing similar to something mentioned
He wanted a pen or something of the sort for his birthday.
in a way that is partly but not fully true
I sort of like this movie.
identifies someone as a particular type of person
You love adventure sports? That's your sort.
event when things are organized or cleaned up
We had a big sort-out of the garage last weekend.
activity of organizing images for educational purposes
Students participated in a picture sort to learn about animals.
person or kind considered suitable for a particular group or purpose
They decided he was the right sort to lead the team.
rule that decides how items are arranged when you sort them
Set the sort order to descending to view the highest scores first.
code identifying a bank branch in the UK or Ireland
The sort code is needed for the bank transfer.
simple sorting algorithm that repeatedly steps through a list
The programmer used bubble sort to organize the data efficiently..
Origin of sort
Latin, sortem (lot, fate)
Terms with sort included in their meaning
💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.
general category
type or sort of people or things
figurative
large amount of something, hard to sort through
sort tasks
arrange tasks by importance or urgency
safety
set of risk groups used to sort people or activities
cooking
strain or sort materials using a mesh screen
textiles
sort wool or cotton by length and fineness
printing
sort printed documents into page order
arrangement
arrange or sort items beforehand
food
bread or breadlike baked goods of any sort
organization
series of steps used to sort things into groups by features
social science
group label used to sort people by shared ancestry or culture
beauty
extreme beauty of a delicate sort
algorithm setting
rule that decides how items are arranged when you sort them
technology
type of sort in computing
sorting
sort items before a main process
Examples of sort in a sentence
The sort of music played was classical. The sort of the library books was done by volunteers. Efficient sort of data is essential for analysis. She's a clever sort, always finding solutions. He's the sort who never gives up easily. He carefully selected a sort for the headline.
Each sort was meticulously arranged in the case. He sorted the files alphabetically. The librarian sorted the books by genre. She will sort everything before the meeting. Can you sort the files by noon? She needed to sort the files alphabetically. The software can sort the entries by date.
View all translations of sort
Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
- French:type, trier, ...
- German:Sorte, sortieren, ...
- Italian:tipo, separare, ...
- Spanish:tipo, clasificar, ...
- Portuguese:tipo, separar, ...
- Chinese:种类, 分拣, ...
- Japanese:種類, 分類する, ...
- Arabic:نَوْع, فَرَزَ, ...
- Hebrew:סוּג, לְמַיֵּן, ...
- Russian:сорт, сортировать, ...
- Ukrainian:сорт, сортувати, ...
- Hindi:प्रकार, वर्गीकृत करना, ...
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