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Definition of sort
1a : a group set up on the basis of any characteristic in common : class, kindb : one approximating the character or qualities of another a sort of latter-day Abe Lincolnc : person, individual he's not a bad sort
3a archaic : method or manner of acting : way, mannerb : character, nature people of an evil sort
4a : a letter or character that is one element of a fontb : a character or piece of type that is not part of a regular font
5 : an instance of sorting a numeric sort of a data file
after a sort
: in a rough or haphazard way plays the piano, after a sort
all sorts of
: many different : all kinds of knows all sorts of people
of sorts
orof a sort
: in some respects but not entirely or truly a vacation of sorts
out of sorts
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Examples of sort in a Sentence
What sort of car do you drive?
He's not a bad sort.
She's not the sort to complain.
The program did a numeric sort of the data.
Recent Examples of sort from the Web
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Roughly 95 percent of the perfume imagery that crosses my desk features a woman or a couple in some sort of erotic situation, and far too many perfume ads wrongly perpetuate the idea that having sex on the sand is a good idea.
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ARIE: [Folk singer Victoria Williams] had some sort of a neurological disease.
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That’s the sort of discourse that resulted in the U.K.’s vote to leave the EU last June.
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In Saturday’s game, Mexico will be playing with a B-team of sorts since its top players are in Russia at the Confederations Cup.
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Glazier said that there are already some offerings of this sort but more are needed.
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To celebrate the birth, the Philadelphia Zoo posted on Facebook Live a naming ceremony of sorts from PECO Primate Reserve.
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The result is a confounding labyrinth of identity specifics—a sort of cross-genre-pollination of people.
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On June 26, 1954, a violent line of fast-moving storms ripped through the Washington area, unleashing all sorts of havoc and, tragically, killing four people.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sort'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of sort
Middle English, from Anglo-French, fate, lot, characteristic, from Latin sort-, sors lot, share, category — more at series
Synonym Discussion of sort
sort
Definition of sort
transitive verb
1a : to put in a certain place or rank according to kind, class, or nature sort apples sort mailb : to arrange according to characteristics : classify —usually used with out sort out colors
2 chiefly Scotland : to put to rights : put in order
3a : to examine in order to clarify —used with out sorting out his problemsb : to free of confusion : clarify —used with out waited until things sorted themselves out
intransitive verb
1 : to join or associate with others especially of the same kind sort with thieves
2 : agree, harmonize his benign view sorts badly with reality — Henry Trewhitt
3 : search sort through some old papers
sorter
nounExamples of sort in a Sentence
She started to sort the mail.
They sorted the winners from the losers.
The program can sort data alphabetically or numerically.
Recent Examples of sort from the Web
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Earlier, officers from Burbank and South Pasadena, as well as deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, spent part of the morning trying to sort out which agency has jurisdiction over the case.
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State-of-the-art projectors cover the castle’s exterior in vibrant visual effects, while audio narration by the school’s famous Sorting Hat celebrates each of Hogwarts’ four houses—Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin.
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Not for trivial things did millions of Americans pass in and out of draft-board doors during the toiling weeks in which the nation sorted its man-power.
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The results were then sorted by the percentage of women's earnings compared to men's earnings.
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Mobile County and the city of Mobile literally offered to pave the way for hundreds of new jobs at a new Amazon sorting center, according to a county commissioner.
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Marilyn and her brother Rod Johnson Sr., have carried on the same traditions as their mother and family matriarch Ethel Johnson, who was a familiar sight at the family produce stand sorting berries and helping with flowers in the greenhouse.
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At last year’s Summer Games, the International Olympic Committee refused to ban the Russians as a whole, instead giving leaders in the individual sports mere days to sort out who should be eligible to compete in Rio de Janeiro.
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At that point, some teams still were sorting through their starting-quarterback situations, so backup jobs could be settled later.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sort'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of sort
14th century
SORT Defined for English Language Learners
sort
playDefinition of sort for English Language Learners
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: a group of people or things that have some shared quality : a particular kind or type of person or thing
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: a person of a particular type
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: the act of separating things and putting them in a particular order : the act of sorting things
sort
Definition of sort for English Language Learners
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: to separate and put (people or things) in a particular order
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: to deal with (something or someone) in a successful way
SORT Defined for Kids
Definition of sort for Students
1 : a group of persons or things that have something in common : kind all sorts of people
2 : person 1, individual He was not a bad sort.
3 : general disposition : nature people of an evil sort
out of sorts
1 : not feeling well
2 : easily angered : irritable
Learn More about sort
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See words that rhyme with sort Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for sort Spanish Central: Translation of sort Nglish: Translation of sort for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of sort for Arabic speakers
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