sort - Very Detailed Details ENG

sort

sort noun

/sɔːt/

1 countable a group or type of people or things that are similar in a particular way

SYNONYM kind

sort of somebody/something ‘What sort of music do you like?’ ‘Oh, all sorts.’

This sort of problem is quite common./These sorts of problems are quite common.

He's the sort of person who only cares about money.

The sort/sorts of people who are having large families in the US and Ireland are very similar.

For dessert there's a fruit pie of some sort (= you are not sure what kind).

Most people went on training courses of one sort or another (= of various types) last year.

(informal) There were snacks—peanuts, olives, that sort of thing.

(informal) There are all sorts of activities (= many different ones) for kids at the campsite.

(informal) What sort of price did you want to pay? (= approximately how much)

(informal) What sort of time do you call this? (= I'm very angry that you have come so late.)

Statements like these are not the sort of stuff you'd expect from one of Australia's most powerful women.

(informal) Tracey has been causing her mother all sorts of problems (= many different ones).

Collocations

adjective

preposition

sort of

2 countable, usually singular (informal, especially British English) a particular type of person

My brother is not the sort to lie about something like that.

3 singular (computing) the process of putting data in a particular order

to do a sort

Idioms

sort

/sɔːt/

1 to arrange things in groups or in a particular order according to their type, etc.; to separate things of one type from others

sort something I started at the bottom, answering phones and sorting the mail.

sort something into something The computer sorts the words into alphabetical order.

Rubbish can easily be separated and sorted into plastics, glass and paper.

sort something from something Women and children sorted the ore from the rock.

sort something by something Events are sorted by date and category.