sort out

1 of 2

verb

sorted out; sorting out; sorts out

1

: to understand or find (something, such as a reason or a solution) by thinking

I'm trying to sort out a way to do it.

2

: to find an answer or solution for (something)

He's still trying to sort out his problems.

We need to get these problems sorted out as soon as possible.

They couldn't come up with a solution and decided to wait to see whether problem sorted itself out.

3

: to solve the problems of (someone)

They're still trying to sort their son out.

I just need a little more time to sort myself out.

4

British, informal : to deal in a forceful way with (someone who is causing problems)

I told my brother they were bullying me, and he promised to sort them out (for me).

sort-out

2 of 2

noun

British

: an activity in which someone makes a room, closet, etc., neat and organized

Let's have a sort-out of the attic.

Examples of sort out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

But once that all sorts out, how is that going to impact the friendships, the relationships, and MomTok as a whole? —Michael Schneider, Variety, 27 May 2026

These executives are designing payment flexibility into their core architecture from day one — not treating it as a back-end detail to sort out later. —Nandan Sheth, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026

But that argument would likely take so long to sort out in court that all the money would have been spent by then. —ArsTechnica, 25 May 2026

So on May 8, the department referred the case to the division of administrative hearings, where a judge can help sort out what happened and weigh in on what sanctions, if any, should be levied against her. —Annie Martin, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 May 2026

Rhymes for sort out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout