categorize

verb

cat·​e·​go·​rize ˈka-ti-gə-ˌrīz 

categorized; categorizing

transitive verb

: to put into a category : classify

Birds are categorized by type in this field manual.

categorization

ˌka-ti-gə-rə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

categorizable

ˌka-ti-gə-ˈrī-zə-bəl 

adjective

Synonyms

• assort
• break down
• class
• classify
• codify
• compartment
• compartmentalize
• digest
• distinguish
• distribute
• grade
• group
• peg
• place
• range
• rank
• relegate
• separate
• sort
• type

Examples of categorize in a Sentence

This software lets you categorize your photographs in many different ways.

Their opinions can be categorized as conservative.

Birds are categorized by type in this field guide.

Recent Examples on the Web

About half are what Tubi categorizes as multicultural, covering Black, Latino, Asian and LGBTQ+ audiences. —Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2024

The style hasn’t been without controversy though—some say that traditional organization methods, like categorizing books by subject, title, or alphabetical order, likely won't work if the books are sorted by color. —Colleen Sullivan, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 June 2024

The website then categorized the 170 most populated American cities based on whether commute times have increased or decreased. —Brenna Gauchat, The Arizona Republic, 3 June 2024

Moms for Liberty has been categorized by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an extremist group. —Nadia Scharf, The Indianapolis Star, 3 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

see category

First Known Use

1705, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

categorize

verb

cat·​e·​go·​rize ˈkat-i-gə-ˌrīz 

categorized; categorizing

: to put into a category : classify

categorization

ˌkat-i-gə-rə-ˈzā-shən 

noun