[go: up one dir, main page]

sort 1 of 2

noun

ˈsȯrt How to pronounce sort (audio)
Definition of sortnext
1
as in kind
a number of persons or things that are grouped together because they have something in common I prefer jackets with zippers to the sort that close with buttons

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in person
a member of the human race he's a decent sort

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

sort

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to travel
to come or be together as friends you should be careful about whom you sort with

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to correspond
to be in agreement on every point that doesn't sort with what you said the last time

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to classify
to arrange or assign according to type sorted the mail into bills to be paid and junk to be thrown out

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word sort distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of sort are character, description, kind, nature, and type. While all these words mean "a number of individuals thought of as a group because of a common quality or qualities," sort often suggests some disparagement.

the sort of newspaper dealing in sensational stories

In what contexts can character take the place of sort?

While the synonyms character and sort are close in meaning, character implies a group marked by distinctive likenesses peculiar to the type.

research on the subject so far has been of an elementary character

When is it sensible to use description instead of sort?

The words description and sort can be used in similar contexts, but description implies a group marked by agreement in all details belonging to a type as described or defined.

not all acts of that description are actually illegal

When might kind be a better fit than sort?

The synonyms kind and sort are sometimes interchangeable, but kind may suggest natural grouping.

a zoo seemingly having animals of every kind

When could nature be used to replace sort?

While in some cases nearly identical to sort, nature may imply inherent, essential resemblance rather than obvious or superficial likenesses.

two problems of a similar nature

When is type a more appropriate choice than sort?

In some situations, the words type and sort are roughly equivalent. However, type may suggest strong and clearly marked similarity throughout the items included so that each is typical of the group.

one of three basic body types

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sort
Noun
The film is also a love letter to Italy of sorts, given Paolo is from Naples. —Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 3 Mar. 2025 Just now, marching ahead, Stan looked like an official of some sort. —Colm Tóibín, The New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2025
Verb
Step 3: The Rankings Tab The easiest way to do this is sorting by Rank. —Jake Ciely, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025 Hughes keeps a big bag of socks that have lost their mate in the wash and asks her mother to sort them. —Theresa Tamkins, SELF, 21 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sort
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sort
  1. kind
  2. person
  3. travel
  4. correspond
  5. classify
  6. guy
  7. associate
  8. coincide
Noun
  • Perhaps the largest of its kind was a retrospective analysis that appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2002.
    — Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
  • These wooden stakes, used to impede attackers, are the first of their kind to be recovered from this period.
    — Stories by Real-Time news team, with AI summarization, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2025
Definition of kind
Noun
  • Just one person out of 27 people on board the Western Reserve survived the harrowing 60-mile journey back to shore.
    — Lauren Liebhaber, Kansas City Star, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Loading your audio article One person was killed and three others were injured when a pickup truck collided with a group of dirt bike riders in Voluntown on Monday.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2025
Definition of person
Verb
  • Until an hour or so prior, Messi’s presence on the traveling roster was uncertain, with the Argentine not having played in the club’s previous three matches.
    — Pablo Maurer, The Athletic, 13 Mar. 2025
  • This expansion affects light wavelengths emanating from cosmic objects of interest, like stars, that travel toward our detectors on Earth.
    — Monisha Ravisetti, Space.com, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of travel
Verb
  • The equation no longer corresponds to a Turing machine that computes perfect squares—and, more generally, the Diophantine equations can no longer encode the halting problem.
    — Joseph Howlett, WIRED, 9 Mar. 2025
  • Under Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, the Space Force has defined a highly effective strategy; corresponding operational concepts and technologies; and a new training regimen to ensure U.S. equities in space are secured.
    — David A. Deptula, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025
Definition of correspond
Verb
  • Despite the depth and breadth of his transactions, Sweeney did not classify his work as a teardown.
    — Fluto Shinzawa, The Athletic, 8 Mar. 2025
  • Using data from nearly 10,000 herbarium specimens, scientists at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History have brought attention to the conservation status of these plants, revealing that 87 species—almost half of the genus—are now classified as threatened with extinction.
    — Ella Jeffries, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Mar. 2025
Definition of classify
Noun
  • This, again, is about getting the right guy for an important role.
    — Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2025
  • And that was done mostly wordlessly in a drugged stupor, so that was always going to be a challenge, not to just be the boring guy falling asleep.
    — Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 10 Mar. 2025
Definition of guy
Verb
  • Because my instinct was to run away and not be associated with this thing.
    — H. Alan Scott, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Exposure can cause cancer, stroke or heart attacks and has been associated with a higher risk of depression and anxiety.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025
Definition of associate
Verb
  • My trip happened to coincide with a visit by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg.
    — Nicholas Lalla, WIRED, 4 Mar. 2025
  • Liu’s career has, however, neatly coincided with the post-Mao period — one that has seen architecture freed from state control and socialist ideals.
    — Oscar Holland, CNN, 4 Mar. 2025
Definition of coincide

Phrases Containing sort

Browse Nearby Words

sort
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sort.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sort. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on sort

Nglish: Translation of sort for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

13 Unusually Long English Words

9 Superb Owl Words

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things
See More

Popular Features

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

13 Unusually Long English Words

9 Superb Owl Words
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
number-twelve-balloon
12-Letter Words Quiz A dozen words, a dozen letters each.
See All