sort 1 of 2

sort

2 of 2

verb

1
2
3

Synonym Chooser

How is the word sort distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of sort are character, description, kind, nature, and type. While all these words mean "a number of individuals thought of as a group because of a common quality or qualities," sort often suggests some disparagement.

the sort of newspaper dealing in sensational stories

In what contexts can character take the place of sort?

While the synonyms character and sort are close in meaning, character implies a group marked by distinctive likenesses peculiar to the type.

research on the subject so far has been of an elementary character

When is it sensible to use description instead of sort?

The words description and sort can be used in similar contexts, but description implies a group marked by agreement in all details belonging to a type as described or defined.

not all acts of that description are actually illegal

When might kind be a better fit than sort?

The synonyms kind and sort are sometimes interchangeable, but kind may suggest natural grouping.

a zoo seemingly having animals of every kind

When could nature be used to replace sort?

While in some cases nearly identical to sort, nature may imply inherent, essential resemblance rather than obvious or superficial likenesses.

two problems of a similar nature

When is type a more appropriate choice than sort?

In some situations, the words type and sort are roughly equivalent. However, type may suggest strong and clearly marked similarity throughout the items included so that each is typical of the group.

one of three basic body types

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 sort
Noun
The fest also serves as a campus of sorts for some 2,000 ltalian film students from more than 20 universities. Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 16 June 2025 For Zegler, making her British stage debut, Evita must seem like a haven of sorts after her travails with the controversy that grew around Snow White, where her casting was subject to racist attacks on social media about her Colombian heritage. Sarah Crompton, Vogue, 16 June 2025
Verb
Notion Mail includes features for sorting, labeling, and filtering emails and tools for drafting replies using AI to help. Ellen Sheng, CNBC, 10 June 2025 Keep projects and clients visually sorted at a glance. Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 10 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for sort
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sort
Noun
  • Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to events.
    Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025
  • The move marks the first time a major Hollywood studio has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit of this kind.
    Regina Cho, VIBE.com, 11 June 2025
Noun
  • This contrast shows how the same event can feel empowering to one person and limiting to another. 2.
    IESE Business School, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
  • Winners can pick up their claim forms in person at more than 23,000 California Lottery retail partners, but are also allowed to fill out a form online.
    Angel Saunders, People.com, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • And while the first U.K. show debuted over a week ago on June 5, fans continue to travel from across the globe, keeping the excitement alive for each show.
    Caché McClay, USA Today, 16 June 2025
  • The pair, while traveling east in a 2020 Honda that was negotiating a curve, crossed the centerline into the westbound lane and collided head-on with a 2015 Ford traveling west, according to a State Police report.
    NWA Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 16 June 2025
Verb
  • These bags are super easy to use: Just toss in your bottles, add the water and seal it up, and microwave for the length of time that corresponds with your microwave’s power.
    Olivia Campbell, Parents, 24 June 2025
  • California State University redacted the identities of those five witnesses that corresponded with Heaphy and May during the investigation in the public records provided to Fox News Digital.
    Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 24 June 2025
Verb
  • This component classifies requests and forwards to the WAF just the ones needing inspection, such as dynamic content requests, and offloads the WAF by caching responses.
    Alexander Krizhanovsky, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
  • The shooting now classified as a-homicide was the third killing reported during a violent weekend in Kansas City, as temperatures soared above 90 degrees across the region.
    Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 22 June 2025
Noun
  • Jayson Tatum landed in a Boston situation that didn’t rely on him to be the guy until Year 3.
    Mike Vorkunov, New York Times, 26 June 2025
  • While the fan messages did make the guys laugh, a lot of it was thanks to their ribbing of each other and themselves.
    Anna Chan, Billboard, 26 June 2025
Verb
  • Parades, speeches, picnics, time with our families and fireworks are events commonly associated with the Fourth of July.
    Naperville Sun, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2025
  • One finger is purple, which is the devil fruit most commonly associated with Luffy, while other similar designs are sapphire blue, rose pink, and bright orange.
    Kara Nesvig, Allure, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • The release coincides with a new graphic novel, The Blues Brothers: The Escape of Joliet Jake, written by Aykroyd’s daughter Stella, Luke Pisano (son of Belushi’s widow, Judy Belushi Pisano), and filmmaker and writer James Werner.
    Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 20 June 2025
  • Another positive is the ratings, which averaged 455,000 viewers on CBS across all 10 weeks and 512,000 when not coinciding with the Summer Olympics last year.
    Jeff Fedotin, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sort.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sort. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on sort

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!