category

noun

cat·​e·​go·​ry ˈka-tə-ˌgȯr-ē 

plural categories

1

: any of several fundamental and distinct classes to which entities or concepts belong

Taxpayers fall into one of several categories.

2

: a division within a system of classification

She competed for the award in her age category.

Synonyms of category

• type
• kind

Examples of category in a Sentence

The cars belong to the same category.

Taxpayers fall into one of several categories.

She competed for the award in her age category.

Recent Examples on the Web

Stadium Club sets are known for their utilization of exceptional photographs, and Joan Monfort’s work from 2007, intended for a charity calendar produced by FC Barcelona, UNICEF and newspaper Diario Sport, certainly fits that category. — Brooks Peck, New York Times, 21 July 2026

Capitalizing on cool The fashion-ification of eyewear has been a welcome boost for the category. — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 20 July 2026

As Nordstrom celebrates 125 years of business, the retailer is putting its largest-ever beauty assortment on sale, with hundreds of price slashes witnessed across skin care, makeup, fragrance, trending beauty tools, and other categories. — Camila Quimper, Footwear News, 20 July 2026

The act grants the NCAA absolute control over athlete eligibility through this antitrust shield, undermining federal and state law, specifically Title IX and who can compete in the women’s category. — Katie Uhlaender Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin categoria, from Greek katēgoria predication, category, from katēgorein to accuse, affirm, predicate, from kata- + agora public assembly, from ageirein to gather

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for category

• allegory
• amatory
• auditory
• clerestory
• crematory
• desultory
• dilatory
• dormitory
• excretory
• feudatory
• gustatory
• gyratory

Kids Definition

category

noun

cat·​e·​go·​ry ˈkat-ə-ˌgōr-ē 

-ˌgȯr-

plural categories

1

: one of the divisions or groupings used in a system of classification

"species" and "genus" are biological categories

2

: class entry 1 sense 3a, kind