type

1 of 2

noun

often attributive
1
a
: a particular kind, class, or group
oranges of the seedless type
leaders of the new type … did England yeoman's serviceG. M. Trevelyan
b
: something distinguishable as a variety : sort
what type of food do you like?
c
: a member of an indicated class or variety of people
the guests were mostly urban typesLucy Cook
d
: a typical and often superior specimen
e
: qualities common to a number of individuals that distinguish them as an identifiable class: such as
(1)
: the morphological, physiological, or ecological characters by which relationship between organisms may be recognized
(2)
: the form common to all instances of a linguistic element
2
a
: printed letters
b(1)
: a rectangular block usually of metal bearing a relief character from which an inked print can be made
(2)
: a collection of such blocks
a font of type
(3)
: alphanumeric characters for printing
the type for this book has been photoset
c
: typeface
italic type
d
: matter set in type
3
: a distinctive mark or sign
4
a
: a person or thing (as in the Old Testament) believed to foreshadow another (as in the New Testament)
b
: one having qualities of a higher category : model
c
: a lower taxonomic category selected as a standard of reference for a higher category
also : a specimen or series of specimens on which a taxonomic species or subspecies is actually based

type

2 of 2

verb

typed; typing

intransitive verb

: to write something on a typewriter or enter data into a computer by way of a keyboard

transitive verb

1
: to produce (a character, a document, etc.) using a keyboard (as on a typewriter or computer)
also : keyboard
2
: to identify as belonging to a type: such as
a
: to determine the natural type of (as a blood sample)
b
3
a
: to produce a copy of
b
: to represent in terms of typical characteristics : typify
4
: to represent beforehand as a type : prefigure
typeable adjective
Choose the Right Synonym for type

type, kind, sort, nature, description, character mean a number of individuals thought of as a group because of a common quality or qualities.

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

kind may suggest natural grouping.

a zoo seemingly having animals of every kind

sort often suggests some disparagement.

the sort of newspaper dealing in sensational stories

nature may imply inherent, essential resemblance rather than obvious or superficial likenesses.

two problems of a similar nature

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

character implies a group marked by distinctive likenesses peculiar to the type.

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

Examples of type in a Sentence

Noun We were not prepared to face this type of crisis. We studied various types of trees. a seedless type of orange He only likes two types of music. She likes all types of books. Verb How fast can you type? I never learned how to type. She asked her secretary to type a memo.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Ideally, this means doctors don’t have to spend time typing out these notes themselves. Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2024 The Sidekick was unique in that the screen spun horizontally to display a full keyboard, giving the same satisfaction of a flip phone with a keyboard that was easier to type on. Sara Belcher, People.com, 16 Oct. 2024 The cursor never jumped into an unexpected place when typing, and using multitouch gesture inputs was a smooth experience. PCMAG, 13 Oct. 2024 That unnamed individual typed out the long string of characters of a Bitcoin private key on Gambaryan’s laptop, allowing Gambaryan to move 69,370 bitcoins from Individual X’s bitcoin address to one controlled by the US government. Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 9 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for type 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'type.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Late Latin typus, from Latin & Greek; Latin typus image, from Greek typos blow, impression, model, from typtein to strike, beat; akin to Sanskrit tupati he injures and probably to Latin stupēre to be benumbed

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4a

Verb

1596, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 4

Time Traveler
The first known use of type was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near type

Cite this Entry

“Type.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/type. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

type

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a rectangular block usually of metal with a raised letter or number from which an inked print is made
b
: a set of letters or figures that are used for printing or the letters or figures printed by them
2
a
: the special things by which members of a group are set apart from other groups
horses of the draft type
b
: a particular kind, class, or group
a seedless type of orange
I don't like people of that type

type

2 of 2 verb
typed; typing
1
: to write with a keyboard (as on a typewriter or computer)
2
: to identify as belonging to a type

Medical Definition

type

1 of 2 noun
1
: a lower taxonomic category selected as a standard of reference for a higher category
also : a specimen or series of specimens on which a taxonomic species or subspecies is actually based
2
: the morphological, physiological, or ecological characters by which relationship between organisms may be recognized
3
: a particular kind, class, or group
cell types
specifically : a group distinguishable on physiological or serological bases
salmonella types

type

2 of 2 transitive verb
typed; typing
: to determine the type of (as a sample of blood or a culture of bacteria)

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