noun

sort

sawt

noun

A particular type or kind of something.

"What sort of music do you like?"

"She's not the sort of person who gives up easily."

verb

To arrange items into groups or a particular order, based on some shared quality.

"Please sort these files by date."

"The app lets you sort your emails by sender."

Informal: to fix a problem or deal with a task.

"Don't worry, I'll sort it out by tomorrow."

How to Use Sort

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither a category/type of thing, or the act of arranging things in order.

Common mistake

"Sort of" is a common hedging phrase meaning "somewhat" or "kind of" — informal in writing.

Common pairings

sort of sort by sort out all sorts of

Word Forms

sorted past tense, sorts plural, sort plural, sorted plural, sorts singular, sort singular, sorted singular, sortedst singular, sortest singular, sorteth singular

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

What _____ of music do you like?

Etymology

From Old French sorte ("class, kind"), from Latin sors ("lot, fate, share, category").

Synonyms

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character individual person type

Related Words

person kind group class sole individual type celibate

Rhymes for sort

port tort wort mort fort Cort abort short sport snort report import

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character individual person type kind group class sole celibate