sort
sort — noun
1. any group whose members share one or more qualities, making them different from
any group whose members share one or more qualities, making them different from other groups.
What sort of music does Indra like to listen to?
what sort of + noun
The shop sells all sorts of kitchen tools for home cooks.
all sorts of + noun
Paloma bought a new sort of coffee that comes from Brazil.
Two sorts of bakers work at Soraya's bakery: the early-morning crew and the night team.
this sort of / that sort of for categories
- this sort of
- that sort of
- what sort of
- all sorts of
- some sort of
- different sorts of
Grammar Patterns
sort of + noun
this sort of + noun
all sorts of + noun
Usage Note
Often paired with 'of' before the noun it describes. 'Sort of' is slightly less formal than 'type of' or 'kind of' in written English.
Common Mistakes
2. the particular kind of person or thing that someone likes or feels comfortable w
the particular kind of person or thing that someone likes or feels comfortable with.
Live concerts are not really my sort of thing — I prefer quiet evenings.
somebody's sort of thing
Mert is a friendly guy, so he is exactly the sort of person you want on your team.
the sort of person
Rodrigo said action films are his sort of movie, but his sister prefers comedies.
Kian loves outdoor adventures, so a quiet weekend indoors is definitely not his sort of holiday.
somebody's sort (person, informal)
- somebody's sort
- my sort of thing
- that sort
- her sort
- his sort
- my kind of
slightly more emphatic, used in the same informal contexts
- my cup of tea
idiom, informal, mainly British English
Grammar Patterns
somebody's sort of + noun
Usage Note
Common in negative constructions ('not my sort of thing'). Can refer to people as in 'somebody's sort', though this can sound dated or judgemental.
3. used after one or more examples to show that the items mentioned are part of a b
used after one or more examples to show that the items mentioned are part of a broader group of similar things.
Nellie enjoys hiking, camping and that sort of outdoor activity.
that sort of + noun (generalising)
The workshop covers planning, budgeting and other topics of that sort.
of that sort
Aoi avoids horror movies, scary games and anything of that sort.
Vendors at the market sell second-hand books, old records and those sorts of things.
- that sort of thing
- things of that sort
- those sorts of things
- of that sort
- such things
more formal, often used in written lists
- like that
informal, placed after the noun: 'games like that'
Grammar Patterns
that sort of thing
things of that sort
Usage Note
Appears after a list as a catch-all phrase. The plural 'sorts' is common in this sense: 'those sorts of things'.
4. a person who has a particular character, described by an adjective before 'sort'
a person who has a particular character, described by an adjective before 'sort' (the helpful sort) or a phrase after it (the sort who complains). Unlike sense 2, this describes someone's nature, not what they prefer.
Eshe is the helpful sort — she is always the first to offer assistance.
the [adjective] sort (person)
Christopher is not the sort to complain, even when things go wrong.
Talia is the quiet sort, but she has very strong opinions once you get to know her.
the quiet sort / the helpful sort
Élise wondered what sort of person would leave trash on the beach.
- the honest sort
- the quiet sort
- the sort who
- that sort of person
Grammar Patterns
sort of + person/noun (with modifier)
Usage Note
Often used with an adjective before 'sort' ('the friendly sort') or a descriptive phrase after ('the sort who always helps'). Can carry a mild judgment.
5. the action of arranging items following a set sequence or dividing them into gro
the action of arranging items following a set sequence or dividing them into groups, especially by a computer program.
The database performed a sort on all user accounts, arranging them by registration date.
perform a sort on + noun phrase
When the teacher clicked the column header, the system ran a sort based on that column's data.
The database does a sort every time the user clicks a column header.
do a sort
After completing the sort, the booking system showed the cheapest flights at the top of the list.
after the sort
- do a sort
- quick sort
- merge sort
- bubble sort
- sort algorithm
- a sort of data
- ordering
broader meaning; not limited to grouping
- classification
formal, focuses on grouping by shared traits
Grammar Patterns
a sort of + noun (process)
sort + algorithm
Usage Note
In computing, 'sort' names both the process and a specific algorithm ('a bubble sort'). Outside computing it is less common — 'sorting' is preferred for manual tasks.
all sorts of
idioma very wide variety of different kinds or types.
The market sells all sorts of fresh fruit from different countries.
Eric has met all sorts of interesting people through his work as a tour guide.
sort of
idiomto some extent but not completely; used when you are not sure or do not want to be exact.
I sort of understand what she means, but I am not sure I agree.
The film was sort of funny, though the ending was a little sad.
out of sorts
idiomfeeling slightly unwell, unhappy, or not in your usual mood.
Meera has been feeling out of sorts all week and cannot focus at work.
The baby was out of sorts yesterday and cried more than usual.
of sorts
idiomused to describe something as not being a very good or typical example of its kind.
They built a shelter of sorts from old wooden boxes and plastic sheets.
He works as a chef of sorts, though he never went to cooking school.
used to say that you accept that different people have different habits and opinions, even when these seem strange to you.
I would never wear those bright green shoes, but — well, it takes all sorts.
He collects old bottle caps and keeps them in boxes. It takes all sorts, I suppose.
nothing of the sort
idiomused to strongly deny something that has been suggested or claimed.
People said the company was closing down, but the manager said nothing of the sort.
Did I promise to help? I did nothing of the sort — you must have misunderstood.
Used to strongly deny that something is true or that a situation is as described.
Mia said she broke the vase, but she did nothing of the sort.
Did you insult him? No, I said nothing of the kind.
Used to describe something in a vague or approximate way.
Diego made a sort of grunting noise when he lifted the box.
She wore some sort of blue flower in her hair.
sort — verb
1. to take a group of items and put them into a particular order or separate them i
to take a group of items and put them into a particular order or separate them into sets based on their features.
Christopher sorted the laundry by colour before washing it.
sort + noun + by + criterion
Can you sort these papers into three piles: keep, recycle and shred?
sort + noun + into + group
The recycling plant sorts glass, plastic and metal for different processing lines.
Rodrigo spent the whole afternoon sorting through old photographs in the attic.
sort through + noun phrase
The computer program sorts the data alphabetically by last name.
sort + noun + adverb (alphabetically)
- sort into
- sort by
- sort through
- sort alphabetically
- sort carefully
- organise
broader; can mean arranging in any way, not necessarily by categories
- classify
more formal, implies using a system of categories
- categorise
formal, focused on putting into named groups
- tidy up
informal, more about general cleaning than systematic grouping
Grammar Patterns
sort + noun phrase
sort through + noun phrase
sort + noun + into + group
Usage Note
When the focus is on separating items into groups, use 'sort into'. When examining items without necessarily moving them, use 'sort through'. The past form 'sorted' is regular.
Common Mistakes
2. to deal successfully with a problem, difficult situation, or messy collection of
to deal successfully with a problem, difficult situation, or messy collection of tasks.
Talia called the phone company to sort out the billing error.
sort out + problem
Élise and her brother finally sorted out their argument after a long talk.
sort out + disagreement
The IT team is sorting out the network issues that appeared this morning.
Can you sort out the travel arrangements for next week's conference?
Aoi sorted out her finances before applying for the housing loan.
sort out + personal matters
- sort out a problem
- sort out an issue
- sort out the details
- sort things out
Grammar Patterns
sort out + noun phrase
sort + noun phrase + out
Usage Note
This sense is almost always expressed with 'sort out'. The object can be a problem ('sort out the issue'), a person's situation ('sort them out'), or preparatory work ('sort out the details').
Common Mistakes
sort out
phrasal verbto fix a problem or organise something that is messy or confused.
Indra needs to sort out the visa paperwork before her trip to Japan.
Once the team sorts out the budget, they can start buying equipment.
sort through
phrasal verbto examine a group of items one by one, usually in order to find something or to organise them.
Nellie sorted through the pile of mail looking for her exam results.
We spent the weekend sorting through boxes of old clothes for charity.
Word family
- sortableadjectiveB2
- sortedadjectiveB1
- sorternounB2
- sortingnounB1
- sort outphrasal verbB1
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
All four words refer to groups of things that share qualities, but they differ in formality and use. 'Sort' and 'kind' are the most conversational — you might say 'what sort of sandwich do you want?' or 'that kind of behaviour is unacceptable'. 'Type' is a little more precise and is common in both everyday and technical language ('a type of engine', 'blood type'). 'Category' is the most formal, used for systematic classification ('products fall into three categories'). In everyday speech, 'sort' and 'kind' are largely interchangeable, though 'sort' can feel slightly more casual. For example, you can say 'this sort of problem' or 'this kind of problem' with almost no difference in meaning, but 'this category of problem' sounds like something from a business report.
Common collocations
Phrases
- sort of something
- all sorts of
- that sort of thing
Etymology
The word 'sort' entered English in the 1300s from Old French 'sort', which meant 'lot, fate, or share'. This French word came from Latin 'sors' (genitive 'sortis'), meaning 'lot, share, or destiny'. The original idea was of a drawn lot that determined someone's fate. Over time, the meaning shifted: a 'lot' determined what 'kind' of share you received, so 'sort' came to mean 'type, kind, or class'. The verb meaning 'to arrange into groups' developed in the 1500s, reflecting the idea of assigning things to their proper 'lot' or place.