sorted

US: (sôr′tid)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

sort•ed  (sôr′tid), adj. [Geol.]

1. Geology (of sedimentary particles) uniform in size.
2. Geology (of sedimentary rock) consisting of particles of uniform size.

• sort + -ed² 1945–50

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

sort /sɔrt/   n. [countable]

1. a particular kind, class, or group;
   type:
   There are many sorts of people.
2. character, quality, or nature:
   friends of a nice sort.
3. an example of something undistinguished;
   a type of:
   He is a sort of poet.
4. an instance of sorting:
   The computer can perform a fast sort on all the entries in your database.
5. a person (when referring to his or her character):
   With all his faults, he's not a bad sort.

v. 

6. to arrange or separate according to kind or class:
   [~ + object] to sort socks into matching pairs.
7. Computing to place (a group of mixed objects, data, etc.) in order, as by number or alphabetical sequence: [~ + object]
   The computer is sorting the database now.
   [~ + through + object]
   to sort through the database.
8. sort out:
   • [no object] to evolve;
     turn out;
     result:
     Wait and see how things sort out.
   • to put in order;
     clarify: [~ + object + out]
     trying to sort things out at home.
     [~ + out + object]
     to sort out one's problems.

Idioms

9. Idioms of sorts:
   • of a mediocre or poor kind:
     a tennis player of sorts.
     Also, of a sort. 
10. Idioms out of sorts:
    • annoyed, irritable, or depressed:
      feeling out of sorts.
    • sick;
      ill;
      indisposed.
11. Informal Terms, Idioms sort of, somewhat;
    rather;
    kind of:
    The book was sort of interesting, wasn't it?

sort•er, n. [countable] See -sort-.

-sort-, root. 

1. -sort- comes from Latin, where it has the meaning "kind;
   type;
   part.'' This meaning is found in such words as: consort, consortium, resort, sort.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

sort  (sôrt), n. 

1. 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
   • any of the individual characters making up a font of type.
   • Printing characters of a particular font that are rarely used.
6. an instance of sorting.
7. of sorts:
   • of a mediocre or poor kind:
     a tennis player of sorts.
   • of one sort or another;
     of an indefinite kind. Also, of a sort. 
8. out of sorts:
   • in low spirits;
     depressed.
   • in poor health;
     indisposed;
     ill.
   • in a bad temper;
     irritable:
     to be out of sorts because of the weather.
   • Printing short of certain characters of a font of type.
9. Informal Terms sort of, in a way;
   somewhat;
   rather:
   Their conversation was sort of tiresome.

v.t. 

10. to arrange according to sort, kind, or class;
    separate into sorts;
    classify:
    to sort socks; to sort eggs by grade.
11. to separate or take from other sorts or from others (often fol. by out):
    to sort the good from the bad; to sort out the children's socks.
12. to assign to a particular class, group, or place (often fol. by with, together, etc.):
    to sort people together indiscriminately.
13. Scottish Terms to provide with food and shelter.
14. Computing to place (records) in order, as numerical or alphabetical, based on the contents of one or more keys contained in each record. Cf. key ¹ (def. 19).

v.i. 

15. [Archaic.] to suit;
    agree;
    fit.
16. British Terms to associate, mingle, or be friendly.
17. sort out:
    • evolve;
      develop;
      turn out:
      We'll just have to wait and see how things sort out.
    • to put in order;
      clarify:
      After I sort things out here, I'll be able to concentrate on your problem.

• Latin sortīrī to draw lots, derivative of sors; later senses influenced by the noun, nominal and by assort
• Middle French sortir)
• Medieval Latin sort- (stem of sors) kind, allotted status or portion, lot, Latin: origin, originally, voter's lot; (verb, verbal) Middle English sorten to allot, arrange, assort (
• Middle French sorte
• (noun, nominal) Middle English 1200–50

sort′a•ble, adj. 
sort′a•bly, adv. 
sort′er, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. family, order, race, rank, character, nature.

Usage

See kind ².

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

sort / sɔːt/ noun

1. a class, group, kind, etc, as distinguished by some common quality or characteristic
2. type of character, nature, etc: he's a good sort
3. a more or less definable or adequate example: it's a sort of review
4. (often plural) any of the individual characters making up a fount of type
5. manner; way: in this sort we struggled home
6. after a sort ⇒ to some extent
7. of sorts, of a sort ⇒ of an inferior kind
8. of an indefinite kind
9. out of sorts ⇒ not in normal good health, temper, etc
10. sort of ⇒ (adverb) in some way or other; as it were; rather

verb

1. (transitive) to arrange according to class, type, etc
2. (transitive) to put (something) into working order
3. (transitive) to arrange (computer information) by machine in an order convenient to the computer user
4. (intransitive) to agree; accord

Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French, from Medieval Latin sors kind, from Latin: fate

ˈsortable adjective

ˈsorter noun

USAGE
kind2