1. A group of persons or things of the same general character; a kind.
2. character or nature: books of all sorts.
3. one that exemplifies the characteristics of or serves a similar function to another: "A large dinner-party ... made a sort of general introduction for her to the society of the neighbourhood” ( george Eliot).
4. A person; an individual: the clerk is a decent sort.
5. A way of acting or behaving.
6. printing one of the characters in a font of type.
7. an act or instance of sorting: did a sort on the columns of data.
8. to arrange according to class, kind, or size; classify. see synonyms at arrange.
9. to separate from others: sort out the wheat from the chaff.
10. to clarify by going over mentally: she tried to sort out her problems.
11. after a sort in a haphazard or imperfect way: managed to paint the chair after a sort.
12. sorts of a mediocre or inferior kind: a constitutional government of a sort.
13. sorts of one kind or another: knew many folktales of sorts.
14. out of sorts slightly ill.
15. out of sorts irritable; cross: the teacher is out of sorts this morning.
16. sort of informal somewhat; rather: "gambling and prostitution . . . have been prohibited, but only sort of” ( george F. will).

1. A general type.
2. group, company.
3. A person.
4. an act of sorting.
5. an algorithm for sorting a list of items into a particular order.
6. A piece of metal type used to print one letter, character, or symbol in a particular size and style.
7. to separate according to certain criteria.
8. to arrange into some order, especially numerically, alphabetically or chronologically.
9. to fix a problem, to handle a task; to sort out.

1. chance; lot; destiny.
2. A kind or species; any number or collection of individual persons or things characterized by the same or like qualities; a class or order
3. manner; form of being or acting.
4. condition above the vulgar; rank.
5. A chance group; a company of persons who happen to be together; a troop; also, an assemblage of animals.
6. A pair; a set; a suit.
7. letters, figures, points, marks, spaces, or quadrats, belonging to a case, separately considered.
8. to join or associate with others, esp. with others of the same kind or species; to agree.
9. to suit; to fit; to be in accord; to harmonize.
10. to separate, and place in distinct classes or divisions, as things having different qualities
11. to reduce to order from a confused state.
12. to conjoin; to put together in distribution; to class.
13. to choose from a number; to select; to cull.
14. to conform; to adapt; to accommodate.

1. to give or appoint by lot; hence, in general, to allot; assign.
2. to ordain; decree.
3. to select; choose; pick out.
4. to set apart; assign to a particular place or station; rank; class.
5. to separate into sorts; arrange according to kind; classify: sometimes with over.
6. to conform; accommodate; adapt; suit.
7. to put in the proper state or order; set right; adjust; dispose.
8. to supply in suitable sorts; assort.
9. to procure; obtain; attain; reach.
10. to punish; chastise.
11. to cast lots; decide or divine anything by lot; hence, in general, to practise divination or soothsaying.
12. to come to pass; chance; happen; turn out; specifically, to have a satisfactory issue; succeed.
13. to tend; lead; conduce.
14. to be of the same sort or class (with another); be like or comparable; consort; associate; agree; harmonize: with with, rarely to.
15. to be suitable or favorable.
16. A lot; that which is awarded or determined by lot; hence, in general, one's fate, fortune, or destiny.
17. allotted station or position; condition; rank; specifically, high rank; social eminence.
18. characteristic mode of being; nature; quality; character.
19. A number of persons, things, ideas, etc., grouped together according to the possession of common attributes; a kind, as determined by nature, quality, character, or habits; a species; a class.
20. specifically— A particular class or order of people.
21. in printing, one of the characters or pieces in a font of type, considered with reference to its relative supply or lack: nearly always in the plural: as, to be out of sorts (that is, to lack some of the necessary types in a case); to order sorts for a font (that is, to order more of the kinds of type of which it is deficient).
22. kind: used indefinitely of something more or less resembling the thing specified: with of, like kind of. see kind, n., 5, and compare sort of below.
23. A number or quantity of things of the same kind or used together; a set; a suit.
24. A group; a flock; a troop; a company.
25. particular mode of action or procedure; manner; fashion; way.
26. out of health or spirits; out of the normal condition of body or mind; cross.
27. in printing, short of one or more characters in type: said of a compositor, or of his case.
28. [sort, like kind, is often erroneously used in the singular form with a plural force and connection. compare kind.
29.

1. examine in order to test suitability
2. arrange or order by classes or categories
3. a person of a particular character or nature
4. a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
5. an approximate definition or example
6. an operation that segregates items into groups according to a specified criterion