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 CEOs of many of the leading players in the space say their fastest-growing consumer categories are Gen Z and post-menopausal women. — Amy O’Brien, Vogue, 18 Aug. 2026

All have received Emmy nominations along with the series, which landed 18 nominations overall including for Gilligan in the writing and directing categories. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2026

Growth was largely driven by new opportunities in the women’s category, direct-to-consumer and non-denim categories. — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 17 Aug. 2026

The monitoring category is built around horizontal assistants because those can be prompted from the outside. — Jason Goldberg, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 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