catalog

1 of 2

noun

cat·​a·​log ˈka-tə-ˌlȯg How to pronounce catalog (audio)
-ˌläg
variants or catalogue
1
: list, register
a catalog of the band's songs
2
a
: a complete enumeration of items arranged systematically with descriptive details
a catalog of the company's products
b
: a pamphlet or book that contains such a list
a mail-order catalog
a university catalog
c
: material in such a list

catalog

2 of 2

verb

variants or catalogue
cataloged or catalogued; cataloging or cataloguing

transitive verb

1
: to make a catalog of
catalog a collection of books
2
a
: to enter in a catalog
b
: to classify (something, such as books or information) descriptively
Scientific monographs are cataloged into a database that will be available to researchers.

intransitive verb

1
: to make or work on a catalog
2
: to become listed in a catalog at a specified price
this stamp catalogs at $2
cataloger noun
or cataloguer

Examples of catalog in a Sentence

Noun The band played many songs from their catalog of hits. a catalog of music album titles Verb They use the computer to catalog books. The chart catalogs the results of each test.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Nearly 15 years removed from his tragic passing, Michael Jackson continues to earn new chart achievements off the strength of his timeless catalog. Kyle Denis, Billboard, 29 Nov. 2023 In a 2021 interview with Sky News, Hall alluded to disappointment with the sale of his back catalog. Jonathan Mattise, Fortune, 27 Nov. 2023 Our main complaint is that Peacock is riding hard on its back catalog. Scott Gilbertson, WIRED, 27 Nov. 2023 In August, Windham Hill catalog owner Sony Music issued the 30-song The Essential Liz Story, and on Friday (Nov. 24) will unveil the 29-track Songs of Christmas, rounding up all of her holiday music in one collection. Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 22 Nov. 2023 Into a world increasingly defined by digital blur and the threat of AI replacing everyone comes the comforting slap of festive print catalogs with their panoply of wares and familiar display copy. Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2023 As the royalty pool and catalog on Spotify have surged, three particular drains on the royalty pool have now reached a tipping point. Jem Aswad, Variety, 21 Nov. 2023 In a new interview with the Audacy Check In podcast, the pop star opened up about purchasing the publishing rights to her own catalog from its previous owner, TAP Music, earlier this year and how Taylor Swift inspired many artists to understand more about the music industry. Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 17 Nov. 2023 Since her firing, Molesworth has found immense creative freedom organizing shows at David Zwirner and the International Center for Photography, hosting podcasts such as Death of an Artist, and writing for exhibition catalogs and art publications like Frieze and Artforum. Grace Edquist, Vogue, 15 Nov. 2023
Verb
Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer and astrophysicist at the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said the US Space Force data had cataloged two new objects in an orbital plane consistent with the launch from North Korea at the time stated by Pyongyang. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 23 Nov. 2023 These data were gathered using a technique called single-cell RNA sequencing, which lets researchers catalog individual cells' molecular profiles instead of averaging them in a bulk tissue sample. Simon Makin, Scientific American, 21 Nov. 2023 For years, the city had promised to catalog and fix dilapidated buildings like this one to prevent such disasters. John Eligon, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2023 Museum staffers have been working to improve their cataloging processes in recent decades, reports Artnet’s Adam Schrader. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Oct. 2023 Although many of the books are cataloged by the Library of Congress as age-appropriate for children, some parents disagree. Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Sep. 2023 The couple often shared sweet tributes to each other — and their family of pets — on social media over the years, cataloging Caribbean getaways, Cape Cod vacations and days out with his parents. Sophie Dodd, Peoplemag, 27 Aug. 2023 When Twitter intermittently sputtered back online, users cataloged an alarming, untold number of other digital services that were also victims of the outage. Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 14 Nov. 2023 The debris was transported to a U.S. port, where it will be cataloged and analyzed, the Coast Guard said in a news release. Faris Tanyos, CBS News, 10 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'catalog.' 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 cathaloge, cateloge, from Middle French catalogue, from Late Latin catalogus, from Greek katalogos, from katalegein to list, enumerate, from kata- + legein to gather, speak — more at legend

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1598, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near catalog

Cite this Entry

“Catalog.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catalog. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

catalog

1 of 2 noun
cat·​a·​log
variants or catalogue
1
: a list of names, titles, or articles arranged according to a system
2
: a book or file containing a catalog

catalog

2 of 2 verb
variants or catalogue
cataloged or catalogued; cataloging or cataloguing
1
: to make a catalog of
2
: to enter in a catalog
catalog books
cataloger noun
or cataloguer
-ˈȯ-gər,
-ˈä-gər

More from Merriam-Webster on catalog

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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