classify
verb
clas·si·fy
ˈkla-sə-ˌfī 
classified; classifying
1
: to arrange in classes (see class entry 1 sense 3)
classifying books according to subject matter
2
: to consider (someone or something) as belonging to a particular group
The movie is classified as a comedy.
The vehicle is classified as a truck.
Examples of classify in a Sentence
Students will be learning about the ways scientists classify animals.
The online system can classify books by subject.
Recent Examples on the Web
But recreational skiers coming to Bormio will have no problem accessing less challenging terrain, with 23 of the resort’s 30 slopes falling into the blue or red categories (beginner or intermediate) and 7 pistes classified as black for expert skiiers.
—
Catherine Sabino, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
They're classified as hexapods and are more closely related to crustaceans rather than insects, despite their appearance.
—Cailey Gleeson, jsonline.com, 23 Jan. 2026
One of their experiments, using GPT-5, examined how the chatbot would behave in a new chat session after a user submitted text classified as supporting left- or right-wing authoritarian tendencies.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 23 Jan. 2026
In the past 12 months or so, there’ve been more than a dozen fires — some classified as arson or as caused by unhoused individuals.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for classify
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Catherine Sabino, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
They're classified as hexapods and are more closely related to crustaceans rather than insects, despite their appearance.
—Cailey Gleeson, jsonline.com, 23 Jan. 2026
One of their experiments, using GPT-5, examined how the chatbot would behave in a new chat session after a user submitted text classified as supporting left- or right-wing authoritarian tendencies.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 23 Jan. 2026
In the past 12 months or so, there’ve been more than a dozen fires — some classified as arson or as caused by unhoused individuals.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for classify
Cite this Entry
“Classify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/classify. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
classify
verb
clas·si·fy
ˈklas-ə-ˌfī
classified; classifying
: to arrange in or assign to classes
classify books by subjects
classifier
noun
-ˌfī(-ə)r
Medical Definition
classify
transitive verb
clas·si·fy
ˈklas-ə-ˌfī
classified; classifying
: to arrange in classes that have systematic relations usually founded on common properties
how would you classify these animals
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