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 broad category here is algorithmic trading, which has been around for years and is, by the Commission’s own account, now the prevalent form of trading in key gas benchmarks and is used by most if not all participants in EU spot and derivatives gas markets. —Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026

Your vacuum is in this category. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 14 June 2026

On June 4, the FDA designated the recall as a Class I event, the agency's highest risk category. —Shafiq Najib, ABC News, 14 June 2026

Between the chip platform holders and the individual handheld makers, this is suddenly a fiercely competitive category. —Matthew Buzzi, PC Magazine, 14 June 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