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 of categorize

• classify
• rank
• distinguish

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

Several of those rides are categorized as hypercoasters – like Goliath –– rides made of steel with a height of more than 200 feet. — Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026

Ten out of 16 districts in Yemen are categorized as being at emergency levels of food insecurity, the WFP said. — Mark Osborne, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Brisk walking, light cycling, doubles tennis and household chores such as vacuuming, mopping and mowing the lawn were categorized as moderate activity; vigorous activity included jogging, fast cycling, singles tennis and aerobics. — Jennifer Fields, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026

Pamir, which uses machine learning to scrape, parse and categorize vast amounts of unstructured video, image and social media data for its SaaS database, offers another tool. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see category

First Known Use

1705, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for categorize

• actualize
• antagonize
• apologise
• apologize
• capitalize
• characterize
• commercialize
• conceptualize
• contrariwise
• criminalize
• decentralize
• democratize

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