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

The workers check tickets and fares, answer questions and perform other customer service functions, issue citations for violating train rules, attempt to maintain peace, assist operators and track the number of passengers and sort them into different fare categories. —Sacbee.com, 7 Apr. 2026

The very existence of a women’s category is an acknowledgment of that difference. —Lisa Frizell, Denver Post, 6 Apr. 2026

These tools can be divided into three categories. —John Cassidy, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026

Newer entries like Ouai’s repair balm and Maria Nila’s bond builder are only expanding the category further by creating formulas that work for different hair types or use at other parts of one’s regimen. —Iman Balagam, Vogue, 6 Apr. 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
• extempore
• feudatory
• gustatory

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