1. category: a category of persons or things with shared attributes, to which somebody or something can be assigned What sort of instrument is that?
2. particular type: a particular type of person
(
informal
)
She'll help - she's a good sort.
3. similar thing: something similar to a particular thing It's a sort of play with dancing.
4. comput sorting of data: a process of arranging data in a set order
5. printing letter or symbol: a character in a font of type
(
often used in the plural
)
6. manner: a manner of doing something
(
archaic
)
transitive verb (past and past participlesort·ed, present participlesort·ing, 3rd person present singularsorts)
Definition:
1. categorize people or things: to place people or things in categories according to shared attributes clothes sorted into piles
2. put things in sequence: to arrange things in a set order, especially automatically, as some computer programs do with data
[14th century. Via French< Latin sort- "lot, fortune"]
sort·a·ble adjective
sort·er noun
of a sort used to indicate that something is not very good We had a meal of sorts at the airport.
out of sorts
1. slightly unwell
2. not in a very good mood
sort of △somewhat (informal) This place is sort of strange.
Word Usage
The expression sort of tends to be overused, even though it is not only vague but also very informal. In formal writing it is best to avoid usages like He looked sort of unhappy; the more formal words somewhat and rather are preferable.
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