# sort

/ˈsɔɹt/ (US) · /sˈɔːt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/sort
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. a type or kind

noun · CEFR A2

a group of things or people that are similar in some way.

For teachers: a category of things or people sharing common attributes.

- What sort of music do you usually listen to when you exercise?
- The researcher identified a specific sort of bacteria that thrived in extreme temperatures previously thought to be uninhabitable.

### 2. a person

noun · CEFR B1 · Informal

a person of a particular character or nature.

For teachers: an individual characterized by a specific set of personality traits or behaviors.

- He seems like a decent sort of guy once you get to know him.
- She was a reliable sort, always the first to arrive and the last to leave whenever the office faced a deadline.

### 3. data ordering

noun · CEFR B2 · Technical

the process of putting data into a specific order, like alphabetical or numerical.

For teachers: the systematic arrangement of data or objects into a specified sequence, often via an algorithm.

- The computer finished the sort of the database in less than a second.
- The software engineer implemented a quick sort to handle the massive dataset more efficiently than the previous linear method.

### 4. to organize items

verb · CEFR A2

to put things into different groups or a certain order.

For teachers: to arrange or group items systematically according to shared characteristics or a desired sequence.

- I need to sort these clothes into piles for washing.
- The librarian spent the afternoon sorting the new acquisitions by genre before placing them on the display shelves.

### 5. to fix or handle

verb · CEFR B1 · British English · Informal

to deal with a problem or organize a situation successfully.

For teachers: to resolve a problem, organize a task, or clarify a confusing situation.

- Don't worry about the tickets; I'll sort it out this afternoon.
- The manager promised to sort the scheduling conflict before the morning shift began to avoid any further disruption.

## Examples

- What sort of music do you like to hear?
- The shop sells every sort of tool you might need for a home repair project.
- While he was generally a friendly sort, he tended to become quite reclusive when working on a new manuscript.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.