sort out

1 of 2

phrasal 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

Phrasal verb

To sort out what was happening, Attila Balázs, a geophysicist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, and his colleagues used high-resolution, three-dimensional computer models to put the continents back together again. —Evan Howell, Scientific American, 4 Feb. 2026

Microsoft has some issues to sort out to either get more Azure capacity online or to better balance capital expenditure growth to improve margins. —Jeff Marks, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026

For the Bengals, that means sorting out how to improve their defense and fill other needs through free agency and the draft. —The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2026

Jaime has a lot of sorting out to do while in Texas, and Shlesinger generously lets her character fumble through it. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for sort out

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