sorting

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sort

Sorting means organizing things into groups or categories based on some feature or characteristic.

When we think about sorting, one of the first things that comes to mind is a classroom or an office desk where people are organizing papers, files, or objects. For example, you might sort your bills by due date, or sort your clothes by color before putting them away in your closet. But sorting can also happen outside of these everyday situations – like when we're trying to categorize different types of animals or plants for a project, or even when we're trying to decide what games to play with friends based on who's interested in what.

The word "sort" itself is often used interchangeably with "sorting", but it can also be a verb meaning to put things into their right place – so you might sort something by putting it away in its proper location.

How common is "sorting"?

Word sorting is considered rare in modern English.
It appears most frequently in academic texts and less often in other writings.

Definitions

verb

To separate items into different categories according to certain criteria that determine their sorts.
Example: Sort the letters in those bags into a separate pile for each language.
To arrange into some sequence, usually numerically, alphabetically or chronologically.
Example: Sort those bells into a row in ascending sequence of pitch.
To conjoin; to put together in distribution; to class.
To conform; to adapt; to accommodate.
To choose from a number; to select; to cull.
To join or associate with others, especially with others of the same kind or species; to agree.
To suit; to fit; to be in accord; to harmonize.
To fix (a problem) or handle (a task).
To attack physically.
Example: If he comes nosing around here again I'll sort him!

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categorizeclassclassifygrouporder

noun

Ordering.
Categorizing.

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Real examples of "sorting" in context

Tom Felton vs. 'The Most Impossible Harry Potter Quiz'

Interview

who are the four students sorted before Harry in the sorting hat ceremony?

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