1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

alphabetize

verb

Definition of alphabetizenext
as in to file

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of alphabetize When The Guardian stopped by for a house tour in 2017, Yanagihara had filled the apartment with her collection of more than 12,000 titles alphabetized by author. — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 26 Mar. 2026 Like Semple, Korina Valladolid also chose the Gunter for its vinyl collection, which is alphabetized by artist first name from AC/DC and Adele to Zach Bryan and ZZ Top. — René Guzman, San Antonio Express-News, 25 Feb. 2026 This gift is for music buffs who alphabetizes their records and their novels. — Francesca Krempa, StyleCaster, 25 Nov. 2025 Every manilla envelope, stuffed to the brim with photo copies, was meticulously alphabetized. — Rance Collins, IndieWire, 2 Aug. 2025 Using fewer bits was thought to require more steps—like alphabetizing your books by swapping them one by one on the shelf instead of pulling them all out and reshelving them. — Max Springer, Scientific American, 27 June 2025 Perhaps most radical is Barnett’s decision to alphabetize contributors by first names. — Byron Armstrong, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025 The colorful and recently alphabetized search monstrosity has launched a new tool called Project Sunroof. — Evan Ackerman, IEEE Spectrum, 18 Aug. 2015
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alphabetize
  1. file
  2. sequence
  3. prioritize
  4. organize
  5. categorize
Verb
  • The lawsuit filed by the 12 states and a similar antitrust case filed by the Writers Guild of America West are the last obstacles holding up Paramount’s closing of the WBD acquisition.
    — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 21 Sep. 2026
  • On the afternoon of commencement, in May, about a thousand people filed into the United Supermarkets Arena, the basketball coliseum where Texas Tech confers its law degrees.
    — Benjamin Wofford, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of file
Verb
  • Scientists can sequence a genome, but understanding environmental impacts requires psychologists to follow thousands of people for decades.
    — Jessica Craig, Popular Science, 2 Sep. 2026
  • First, scientists sequence the full range of genetic material in a patient’s sample.
    — Jason Liebowitz, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of sequence
Verb
  • The household turns to chaos because the husband prioritizes his business and forgets his wife’s single request.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026
  • That could be troublesome behavior for some individuals who should realistically prioritize building an emergency savings fund or paying down debt over going on vacation.
    — Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of prioritize
Verb
  • Dostoyevsky’s sniveling devil comes closest to portraying the man chiefly responsible for organizing the Final Solution.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Discover a few of our favorites from the sale, organized by category—skincare, hair, tools, makeup, fragrance, and body.
    — Valeriya Chupinina, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of organize
Verb
  • The part that makes the idea harder to categorize may also be the part people remember.
    — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Surfaces were scrubbed down, while dishes were washed and categorized into what Voraotsady had brought and what belonged to OK YAKI.
    — Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of categorize

Browse Nearby Words

alphabet
alphabetize
alphabetized
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Alphabetize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alphabetize. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of nemesis

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All