sort
 sort (sôrt)n.
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. sorts 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.tr.v. sort·ed, sort·ing, sorts
1. To arrange according to class, kind, or size; classify. See Synonyms at arrange.
2. To separate from others:
sort out the wheat from the chaff.
3. To clarify by going over mentally:
She tried to sort out her problems.Idioms:after a sort
In a haphazard or imperfect way:
managed to paint the chair after a sort.of sorts/a sort
1. Of a mediocre or inferior kind:
a constitutional government of a sort.
2. Of one kind or another:
knew many folktales of sorts.out of sorts
1. Slightly ill.
2. Irritable; cross:
The teacher is out of sorts this morning.sort of Informal
Somewhat; rather: “Gambling and prostitution... have been prohibited, but only sort of” (George F. Will). [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin sors, sort-, lot. See ser-2 in Indo-European Roots.] sortʹa·ble adj.sortʹer n.
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