Definition of typenext

type

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word type distinct from other similar nouns?

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

When can character be used instead of type?

While the synonyms character and type 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 type?

The words description and type 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 type?

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

a zoo seemingly having animals of every kind

When could nature be used to replace type?

Although the words nature and type have much in common, nature may imply inherent, essential resemblance rather than obvious or superficial likenesses.

two problems of a similar nature

When is sort a more appropriate choice than type?

While in some cases nearly identical to type, sort often suggests some disparagement.

the sort of newspaper dealing in sensational stories

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 type
Verb
Within a few months, Arsenal had reverted to type and were less effective at attacking with pace. Art De Roché, New York Times, 31 July 2026 Fauci’s diary, which was typed on government computers from December 2019 to December 2022, became the centerpiece of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing. Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 30 July 2026 Nicholas, communicating by typing on his iPad during the couple’s Zoom interview with PEOPLE, shares a message of his own. Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 28 July 2026 To search the restaurant inspections, type in a keyword or restaurant name. Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for type
Recent Examples of Synonyms for type
Noun
  • In 2022, 36 people were killed, 24 of them children, in a massacre at a childcare center in the northeast, believed to be the country’s deadliest incident of its kind.
    Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Although the theme of the original scam message used in the WhatsApp attack will vary, it will always be related to an online voting request for a contest of some kind.
    Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Since 2020, inflation for transformers and power regulators has surged the second most of all 47 categories that the Bureau of Labor Statistics measures in its monthly Producer Price Index, a gauge of wholesale inflation.
    David Goldman, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Disney says that 58 brands across 34 different categories have bought time during the game, with nine brands advertising for the first time.
    Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • But the chief declined to classify the violence as gang-related at a community briefing on July 24, when reporters pressed her about whether the people involved belonged to rival gangs or families.
    Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Many of the first big commercial systems, like AltaVista, Lycos, Excite, and HotBot, used crawlers and indexes to automatically map a growing web rather than relying on editors to hand-classify every site.
    Alan Bradley, ArsTechnica, 7 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Despite trying to break glass, rip through the foundation, and forcibly remove the door, something of the supernatural or at least thoroughly inhuman sort is keeping them inside.
    Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026
  • All vendors at the event were required to hand out school supplies of some sort, Hobart Police Chief Garrett Ciszewski said.
    Michelle L. Quinn, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Fabrizio’s hire was ranked the third best this century in a 2025 AJC article.
    Todd Holcomb, AJC.com, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Reigns’ famed 1,316-day reign ranks above only Hulk Hogan, Bob Backlund and Bruno Sammartino as one of the longest reigns of all time.
    Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Although the movie eventually loses steam (a side effect of its subversions of the genre, while using Ilyas’s awkward outsidership as an aesthetic North Star), Khan traces the care with which his characters try to chart invisible social lines.
    Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The superhero genre has been in decline across the board, with that downturn hitting Marvel and Disney in recent years as the theatrical business also struggled to return to pre-Covid levels.
    Dade Hayes, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • So what your company is doing is finding patients with similar symptoms, grouping them together, and then testing drugs on those subgroups so the trial is more likely to be successful?
    Emily Forlini, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2026
  • My favorite way of increasing humidity is by grouping a bunch of plants all together in one area.
    Dr. Matthew Lisy, Hartford Courant, 1 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The fish itself is shiny silver with vertical yellow stripes, so Sinot applied a shimmery silver shadow to Larsson's lids and added a bright canary yellow color to her inner corners and under her lower lashline.
    Kara Nesvig, Allure, 3 Aug. 2026
  • If solid polish isn’t your style, add a few layered stripes to the mix.
    Amanda Le, InStyle, 3 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Type.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/type. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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