From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishldoce_751_zsortsort1 /sɔːt $ sɔːrt/ ●●● S1 W1 noun 1 type/kind [countable]TYPE a group or class of people, things etc that have similar qualities or features SYN type, kindsort of What sort of shampoo do you use?all sorts (of something) (=a lot of different types of things) I like all sorts of food – I’m not fussy.of this/that sort On expeditions of this sort, you have to be prepared for trouble.of some sort/some sort of something (=used when you do not know exactly what type) He wondered if Rosa was in some sort of trouble. There was a game of some sort going on inside. Most of the victims developed psychological problems of one sort or another (=of various different types). They do burgers, pizzas, that sort of thing.2 → sort of3 → of sorts4 → sort of thing5 → what sort of ... ?6 → nothing of the sort7 person [singular] British EnglishCHARACTER/PERSONALITY someone who has a particular type of character, and is therefore likely to behave in a particular way SYN type Iain’s never even looked at another woman. He’s not the sort.8 → it takes all sorts (to make a world)9 computer [singular]TD if a computer does a sort, it puts things in a particular order10 → out of sortsCOLLOCATIONSadjectivesthis/that sortWe must ensure that this sort of thing does not happen again.some sortThere has been some sort of error.the same sortWe had the same sort of background.a similar sortIt’s a similar sort of house.a different sortBarbara never stopped wanting a different sort of life.the right sortWearing the right sort of clothing could save your life.other sortsWhat other sorts of books do you like?all sorts (=many different sorts)He collects all sorts of musical instruments.phrasesof one sort or another (=of various different sorts)Quite a large number of them suffered injuries of one sort or another.
Examples from the Corpus
sort• By clever use of the medium and washes, all sorts of possibilities open up.• And I knew what I must find, at once, without delay of any sort.• Uncle Ralph was always a good-natured sort.• Eventually money becomes worthless, and people are forced to barter or substitute with other sorts of currencies, like cigarettes.• Not, Emilio thought, smiling inwardly, the sort to fall asleep early.• Indeed, it may be that on occasion physical ill-treatment is a consequence of the tension this sort of situation produces.• This seems to me to be an eminently sensible arrangement, and I think this sort of structure could also work here.• She had got rid of Sarah for the moment but what sort of havoc was the girl going to cause this time?• Think what sort of group Free People are.that sort of thing• The President was very good about that sort of thing.• Great determination and guts and all that sort of thing.• But you expect that sort of thing in a literary saloon.• Home is happiness and family, that sort of thing.• We have people to handle that sort of thing.• Road protesters, animal liberationists, that sort of thing.• Keel-hauling, walking the plank, that sort of thing.sortsort2 ●●● S1 W3 verb [transitive] 1 ORDER/SEQUENCEto put things in a particular order or arrange them in groups according to size, type etc The eggs are sorted according to size.sort something into something Let’s sort all the clothes into piles. All the names on the list have been sorted into alphabetical order.2 British English spokenSOLVE/DEAL WITH A PROBLEM to deal with a situation so that all the problems are solved and everything is organized → sorted Right, I’ll leave this for Roger and Terry to sort, then. → sort something/somebody ↔ out → sort through something→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
sort• You will have to spend some time getting the suspension sorted.• Central to the tax are the bands into which homes of different value will be sorted.• We sorted all the clothes into two piles - those to be kept, and those to be given away.• Recorded in this way, the information is easier to sort and analyse after the excavation has finished.• A preschooler might get confused by such games as sorting blocks by shape.• The records will be sorted by zip code and displayed on the screen.• The rubbish has to be sorted into things that can be recycled and things that can't• Don't worry about the money. I'll sort it, OK?• Your reference materials should be sorted out and grouped together around each subheading within the proposal outline.• Musial mentally sorts the deliveries of some 80 or 90 pitchers.• It takes a couple of hours to sort the mail in the morning.• You should be able to sort this without my help.• She sighed again and sorted through the rough sketches.sort something into something• Applications will be sorted into three categories.From Longman Business Dictionarysortsort /sɔːtsɔːrt/ noun [countable]COMPUTING if a computer does a sort, it puts things in a particular orderIf you do a sort on the computer, it will list entries in alphabetical order. —sort verb [intransitive, transitive]You can sort these tables and even perform mathematical calculations on them.Press F2 to sort.Origin sort1 (1300-1400) Old French sorte, from Latin sors “chance, what you get by luck, share, condition” 