a particular kind, species, variety, class, or group, distinguished by a common character or nature: to develop a new sort of painting; nice people, of course, but not really our sort.
2.
character, quality, or nature: young people of a nice sort.
3.
an example of something that is undistinguished or barely adequate: He is a sort of poet.
4.
manner, fashion, or way: We spoke in this sort for several minutes.
5.
Printing.
a.
any of the individual characters making up a font of type.
b.
characters of a particular font that are rarely used.
6.
an instance of sorting.
verb (used with object)
7.
to arrange according to sort, kind, or class; separate into sorts; classify: to sort socks; to sort eggs by grade.
8.
to separate or take from other sorts or from others (often followed by out ): to sort the good from the bad; to sort out the children's socks.
9.
to assign to a particular class, group, or place (often followed by with, together, etc.): to sort people together indiscriminately.
10.
Scot.to provide with food and shelter.
11.
Computers.to place (records) in order, as numerical or alphabetical, based on the contents of one or more keys contained in each record. Compare key1( def 19 ).
verb (used without object)
12.
Archaic.to suit; agree; fit.
13.
British Dialect. to associate, mingle, or be friendly.
Verb phrases
14.
sort out,
a.
evolve; develop; turn out: We'll just have to wait and see how things sort out.
b.
to put in order; clarify: After I sort things out here, I'll be able to concentrate on your problem.
Idioms
15.
of sorts,
a.
of a mediocre or poor kind: a tennis player of sorts.
b.
of one sort or another; of an indefinite kind.
Also, of a sort.
16.
out of sorts,
a.
in low spirits; depressed.
b.
in poor health; indisposed; ill.
c.
in a bad temper; irritable: to be out of sorts because of the weather.
d.
Printing.short of certain characters of a font of type.
17.
sort of, Informal.in a way; somewhat; rather: Their conversation was sort of tiresome.
Origin: 1200–50; (noun) Middle English < Middle Frenchsorte < Medieval Latinsort- (stem of sors) kind, allotted status or portion, lot, Latin: orig., voter's lot; (v.) Middle Englishsorten to allot, arrange, assort (< Middle Frenchsortir) < Latinsortīrī to draw lots, derivative of sors; later senses influenced by the noun and by assort
Related forms
sort·a·ble, adjective
sort·a·bly, adverb
sort·er, noun
mis·sort, verb
sub·sort, noun
sub·sort, verb
sub·sort·er, noun
un·der·sort, verb (used with object)
un·sort, verb (used with object)
un·sort·a·ble, adjective
Can be confused: kind, sort, type (see usage note at kind)(see usage note at type).
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
c.1380, from O.Fr. sorte "class, kind," from L. sortem (nom. sors) "lot, fate, share, portion, rank, category," from PIE base *ser- "to line up" (cf. L. serere "to arrange, attach, join;" see series). The sense evolution in V.L. is from "what is allotted to one by fate,"
to "fortune, condition," to "rank, class, order." Out of sorts "not in usual good condition" is attested from 1621, with lit. sense of "out of stock."
sort
1358, "to arrange according to type or quality," from O.Fr. sortir "allot, sort, assort," from L. sortiri "draw lots, divide, choose," from sors (see sort (n.)). In some senses, the verb is a shortened form of assort.