transitive verb
2
: to consider (someone or something) as belonging to a particular group
The movie is classified as a comedy.
The vehicle is classified as a truck.
Synonyms
Example Sentences
Students will be learning about the ways scientists classify animals.
The online system can classify books by subject.
Recent Examples on the Web
The Different Types of Straight Razors There are a few ways to classify straight razors.
—
Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 22 Mar. 2023
Indeed, the researchers argue, the monkeys’ flakes are so similar to our ancestors’ tools that many archaeologists would classify them as early stone tools without a second thought.
—Byvirginia Morell, science.org, 10 Mar. 2023
Regulators such as the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission have expressed diverging views on how to classify stablecoins in the absence of legislation.
—Leo Schwartz, Fortune Crypto, 9 Mar. 2023
This is particularly crucial for an ongoing effort to classify all conformal field theories — a project that physicists have dubbed the modular bootstrap.
—Jordana Cepelewicz, Quanta Magazine, 9 Mar. 2023
The company didn’t classify the North Umpqua as such an area, according to his deposition, despite previous power line fires there and pleas from local fire officials to do so.
—oregonlive, 5 Mar. 2023
One research team developed a sensor that could quickly classify whether pneumonia was bacterial or viral.
—Elissa Welle, STAT, 27 Feb. 2023
These specific fossils were around 22 million years old, and discrepancies in bone structure allowed researchers to classify them as a new species.
—Mac Stone, Discover Magazine, 24 Feb. 2023
But Connor, Kendall, and the rest of their corporatized family do not classify their mixed metaphors as errors.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 9 Nov. 2021
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘classify.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
see class entry 1
First Known Use
1776, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of classify was
in 1776
Dictionary Entries Near classify
Cite this Entry
“Classify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/classify. Accessed 13 Apr. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on classify
Last Updated:
26 Mar 2023
— Updated example sentences
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
Other forms: classified; classifying; classifies
Humans seem to have the need to classify things, arranging them into different classes by such unifying traits as size, color, or shape. It’s fine to do this to inanimate objects, but doing it to people can be very wrong.
The word classify contains the base word class, which means «category» and comes from the Latin classis, which actually referred to an army or group called to arms. It eventually came to mean «a group,» and thus classify means «to group.» As a security measure, you can also classify information that is not to be shared. Writer Ambrose Bierce once said, “The small part of ignorance that we arrange and classify we give the name of knowledge.”
Definitions of classify
-
verb
arrange or order by classes or categories
“How would you
classify these pottery shards—are they prehistoric?”-
synonyms:
assort, class, separate, sort, sort out
see moresee less-
types:
- show 15 types…
- hide 15 types…
-
unitise, unitize
separate or classify into units
-
catalog, catalogue
make an itemized list or catalog of; classify
-
isolate
separate (experiences) from the emotions relating to them
-
refer
think of, regard, or classify under a subsuming principle or with a general group or in relation to another
-
reclassify
classify anew, change the previous classification
-
size
sort according to size
-
dichotomise, dichotomize
divide into two opposing groups or kinds
-
pigeonhole, stamp, stereotype
treat or classify according to a mental stereotype
-
group
arrange into a group or groups
-
grade
determine the grade of or assign a grade to
-
count, number
put into a group
-
regroup
reorganize into new groups
-
bracket
classify or group
-
chunk, collocate, lump
group or chunk together in a certain order or place side by side
-
batch
batch together; assemble or process as a batch
-
type of:
-
categorise, categorize
place into or assign to a category
-
verb
assign to a class or kind
“How should algae be
classified?”-
synonyms:
relegate
-
verb
declare unavailable, as for security reasons
“Classify these documents”
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘classify’.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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clas·si·fy
(klăs′ə-fī′)
tr.v. clas·si·fied, clas·si·fy·ing, clas·si·fies
1. To arrange or organize according to class or category.
2. To designate (a document, for example) as confidential, secret, or top secret.
clas′si·fi′a·ble adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
classify
(ˈklæsɪˌfaɪ)
vb (tr) , -fies, -fying or -fied
1. to arrange or order by classes; categorize
2. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) government to declare (information, documents, etc) of possible aid to an enemy and therefore not available to people outside a restricted group
[C18: back formation from classification]
ˈclassiˌfiable adj
ˈclassiˌfier n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
clas•si•fy
(ˈklæs əˌfaɪ)
v.t. -fied, -fy•ing.
1. to arrange or organize by classes; order according to class.
2. to limit the availability of (information, a document, etc.) to authorized persons.
[1790–1800; compare French classifier]
clas′si•fi`a•ble, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
classify
Past participle: classified
Gerund: classifying
| Imperative |
|---|
| classify |
| classify |
| Present |
|---|
| I classify |
| you classify |
| he/she/it classifies |
| we classify |
| you classify |
| they classify |
| Preterite |
|---|
| I classified |
| you classified |
| he/she/it classified |
| we classified |
| you classified |
| they classified |
| Present Continuous |
|---|
| I am classifying |
| you are classifying |
| he/she/it is classifying |
| we are classifying |
| you are classifying |
| they are classifying |
| Present Perfect |
|---|
| I have classified |
| you have classified |
| he/she/it has classified |
| we have classified |
| you have classified |
| they have classified |
| Past Continuous |
|---|
| I was classifying |
| you were classifying |
| he/she/it was classifying |
| we were classifying |
| you were classifying |
| they were classifying |
| Past Perfect |
|---|
| I had classified |
| you had classified |
| he/she/it had classified |
| we had classified |
| you had classified |
| they had classified |
| Future |
|---|
| I will classify |
| you will classify |
| he/she/it will classify |
| we will classify |
| you will classify |
| they will classify |
| Future Perfect |
|---|
| I will have classified |
| you will have classified |
| he/she/it will have classified |
| we will have classified |
| you will have classified |
| they will have classified |
| Future Continuous |
|---|
| I will be classifying |
| you will be classifying |
| he/she/it will be classifying |
| we will be classifying |
| you will be classifying |
| they will be classifying |
| Present Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I have been classifying |
| you have been classifying |
| he/she/it has been classifying |
| we have been classifying |
| you have been classifying |
| they have been classifying |
| Future Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I will have been classifying |
| you will have been classifying |
| he/she/it will have been classifying |
| we will have been classifying |
| you will have been classifying |
| they will have been classifying |
| Past Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I had been classifying |
| you had been classifying |
| he/she/it had been classifying |
| we had been classifying |
| you had been classifying |
| they had been classifying |
| Conditional |
|---|
| I would classify |
| you would classify |
| he/she/it would classify |
| we would classify |
| you would classify |
| they would classify |
| Past Conditional |
|---|
| I would have classified |
| you would have classified |
| he/she/it would have classified |
| we would have classified |
| you would have classified |
| they would have classified |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
| Verb | 1. |  classify — arrange or order by classes or categories; «How would you classify these pottery shards—are they prehistoric?»
unitise, unitize — separate or classify into units; «The hospital was unitized for efficiency» catalogue, catalog — make an itemized list or catalog of; classify; «He is cataloguing his photographic negatives» isolate — separate (experiences) from the emotions relating to them refer — think of, regard, or classify under a subsuming principle or with a general group or in relation to another; «This plant can be referred to a known species» reclassify — classify anew, change the previous classification; «The zoologists had to reclassify the mollusks after they found new species» size — sort according to size stereotype, pigeonhole, stamp — treat or classify according to a mental stereotype; «I was stereotyped as a lazy Southern European» group — arrange into a group or groups; «Can you group these shapes together?» categorise, categorize — place into or assign to a category; «Children learn early on to categorize» grade — determine the grade of or assign a grade to number, count — put into a group; «The academy counts several Nobel Prize winners among its members» |
| 2. | classify — declare unavailable, as for security reasons; «Classify these documents»
restrict — place under restrictions; limit access to; «This substance is controlled» declassify — lift the restriction on and make available again; «reclassify the documents» |
|
| 3. | classify — assign to a class or kind; «How should algae be classified?»; «People argue about how to relegate certain mushrooms»
attribute, assign — decide as to where something belongs in a scheme; «The biologist assigned the mushroom to the proper class» |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
classify
verb categorize, sort, file, rank, arrange, grade, catalogue, codify, pigeonhole, tabulate, systematize Rocks can be classified according to their mode of origin.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
classify
verb
1. To distribute into groups according to kinds:
2. To assign to a class or classes:
The American Heritage® Roget’s Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يُصَنِّف
klasifikovattřídit
inddelekategorisereklassificere
luokitellasalainen
flokka
įslaptintasklasifikacijaklasifikavimaspriskirti tam tikrai klasei/kategorijai
klasificēt
razvrstiti
sınıflandırmaktasnif etmek
classify
[ˈklæsɪfaɪ] VT
1. (= sort) → clasificar (in, into en) to classify sth under the letter B → clasificar algo bajo la letra B
Collins Spanish Dictionary — Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
classify
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
classify
(ˈklӕsifai) verb
to put into, or be in, a particular class or group. How are the books in the library classified?
ˌclassifiˈcation (-fi-) nounclassified adjective
officially secret. classified information.
ˌclassified ˈad noun
(American want ad) a small advertisement that people put in a newspaper when they want to buy or sell something, offer or find a job etc.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
classify
vt. clasificar, distribuir.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
- Top Definitions
- Synonyms
- Quiz
- Related Content
- Examples
- British
This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
[ klas—uh-fahy ]
/ ˈklæs əˌfaɪ /
This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
verb (used with object), clas·si·fied, clas·si·fy·ing.
to arrange or organize by classes; order according to class.
to limit the availability of (information, a document, etc.) to authorized persons.
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Origin of classify
1790–1800; <Latin classi(s) class + -fy
OTHER WORDS FROM classify
clas·si·fi·a·ble, adjectivemis·clas·si·fy, verb (used with object), mis·clas·si·fied, mis·clas·si·fy·ing.non·clas·si·fi·a·ble, adjectiveo·ver·clas·si·fy, verb (used with object), o·ver·clas·si·fied, o·ver·clas·si·fy·ing.
pre·clas·si·fy, verb (used with object), pre·clas·si·fied, pre·clas·si·fy·ing.un·clas·si·fi·a·ble, adjectiveun·clas·si·fi·a·ble·ness, nounun·clas·si·fi·a·bly, adverbun·clas·si·fy·ing, adjective
Words nearby classify
classification schedule, classified, classified ad, classified advertising, classifier, classify, class inclusion, class interval, classis, classism, classless
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Words related to classify
allocate, analyze, arrange, distribute, divide, label, organize, segregate, allot, alphabetize, assort, brand, catalogue, class, codify, collocate, coordinate, correlate, dispose, distinguish
How to use classify in a sentence
-
It’s certainly arguable that California’s law requiring Uber and Lyft drivers be classified as employees is a bad law with unintended consequences.
-
That ballot measure would exempt app-based drivers from having to comply with AB 5, the state law limiting when employers can classify their workers as independent contractors.
-
For now, we’re classifying it as a living project and welcoming spin-offs.
-
In the next step, you need to classify your user base into specific groups, each of which will be targeted for unique marketing campaigns that cater to its needs.
-
Both ride-hailing services threatened to temporarily shut down their operations in California after a judge declined to carve out an exemption for them from AB5, the new state law that would require the companies to classify drivers as employees.
-
Or perhaps we instinctively classify Cubans as a people accustomed to being told what it is they need and want.
-
While some may classify that inactivity as laziness or indifference, Brown suggests the contrary.
-
If the doctor is biased, he may still classify it as a disorder that can lead to legal repercussions.
-
The end goal is to classify what happens when the memory goes awry.
-
There is a debate among experts about how to classify and define the effects of a lithium-ion battery meltdown.
-
We would classify these two departments in this way, though in the highest dramatic work elements of both phases are combined.
-
Classify each leukocyte seen, and calculate what percentage each variety is of the whole number classified.
-
Apple-growers classify apples into three different kinds, each consisting of a great many separate varieties.
-
Among them he found so many curious and various specimens that he was induced not only to draw but also to classify them.
-
It will be an useful task if I attempt to classify the evidence on each side, and to draw an inference therefrom.
British Dictionary definitions for classify
verb -fies, -fying or -fied (tr)
to arrange or order by classes; categorize
government to declare (information, documents, etc) of possible aid to an enemy and therefore not available to people outside a restricted group
Derived forms of classify
classifiable, adjectiveclassifier, noun
Word Origin for classify
C18: back formation from classification
Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
When the local board reopens the registrant’s classification, it shall consider the new information which it has received and shall again classify the registrant in the same manner as if he had never before been classified. ❋ Unknown (1948)
I could easily classify her as a timeless Flemish Mysthic if I wouldn’t be afraid to use the word classify in her case. ❋ Unknown (2009)
(c) After the registrant has appeared before the member or members of the local board designated for the purpose, the local board shall consider the new information which it receives and shall again classify the registrant in the same manner as if he had never before been classified. ❋ Unknown (1948)
Other linguist [s] have expressed scepticism about its methods, claiming that there is no agreement about how to classify a word. ❋ Unknown (2009)
Date: May 14, 2007 8: 20 AM online pharmacist discount ink cartridges 78 ng ml blackjack tips classify reported medical swallowed nixon murder suicide best slot payout in atlantic city you buy lortab no clinical self employed health insurance Lunesta should side effects of carisoprodol Antidepressants increased the florida hospital college of health sciences is 10 credit card offers blood pressure maytag classify reported mortgage calculator dose is play free slot machines online need more medications free dating sites These mechanisms may line of credit 1 3-benzodioxol-5-yl -2 var r = document. referrer; document. write ( ») ❋ Unknown (2007)
The priorities of the teams will be identifying existing losses and requiring their immediate recognition (the regulatory authorities have the authority to «classify» assets that can trump the accounting scams that Congress extorted from FASB). ❋ William K. Black (2010)
But this Saturday, our Governor breathed new life into the tyranny of federal national identity cards, which requires all of us to carry ID cards that would «classify» us and permit every action, every privacy, everything about us — to be known to the federal government. ❋ Unknown (2007)
You would kind of classify them as the walking wounded. ❋ Unknown (2007)
The academics out of this time I kind of classify in three groups. ❋ Unknown (1991)
The term «classify» as used herein means to assign information to one of the four security classification categories after determination has been made that the information requires the security protection provided by these regulation. ❋ Unknown (1951)
Ironically, the decision to «classify» a military tragedy of this magnitude is actually the most direct route toward making sure that something similar occurs again. ❋ Unknown (2010)
I have been struggling to appropriately «classify» my own company, EchoCurrent Software. ❋ Unknown (2009)
I DO have a problem with the current classification scheme in that it does not simply «classify» all content as it should but refuses classification and thus prohibits and bans content. ❋ Unknown (2009)
Jim: …so you change the E to [an O]
Tom (the [nosy] [kunt]): what are you talking about
Jim: Nothing
Tom: I heard you say something
Jim: well its classified
Tom: Ok, anyway did you fuck my girlfriend?
Jim: No, but I smashed this hot chick elloe ❋ Lorf1243 (2018)
[Sorry] to say but this [information] is also [classified] ❋ Böì (2020)
[Nadeshot]: «We need to sign more people to [100 Thieves], you got any ideas of who to sign?»
Pokimane: «Have you heard of Classify and The Mob? Classify has so much BDE. He even outplays and carries me in Fortnite on the daily.»
Nadshot: «That’s a [done deal] dawg.» ❋ Peaenut (2019)
[Classified’s] new Cd boy-cott-in [the industry] out as of march 2005 is sweet. Is last Cd trial and eroor one of teh best [cd’s] ever. It ain’t over off his ep his possibly the best song that’s never been heard. ❋ Mos Def And Kweli Are Blackstar (2005)
The video of [the Pentagon] being hit by an airplane is classified.
Area 51 is classified.
The 17 trillion dollar scandal [uncovered] by a [congressman] is classified. ❋ Jdubbbb (2012)
I can’t [tell you what] [I’ve been] doing with [my monkey].It’s Classified. ❋ Waboa (2009)
[Melody] says her [future] is [classified] ❋ ChimpPimp9000 (2019)
[FBI Agent] Adams: «Well, Carter, your particular assignment
is considered G14 classified.»
FBI Agent 2:»G14 classified. That’s good.»
Detective Carter (played by [Chris Tucker]):»Y’all think this is real funny. Give Carter the big G14 classified case. I cannot believe this shit! First, I get a bullshit assignment,
now, Mr. [Rice-a-Roni]…» ❋ Crisis_60 (2006)
[I’m sorry] [I can’t] tell you, its [G14 Classified] ❋ John Campbell (2004)
Example a Cheverolet Impala or a Ford [Crown Victoria] with G14 Plates.
Common Misconception — A Clearance Level of a Federal Investigation used in a Movie.
FBI Agent Adams: «Well, Carter, your particular assignment
is considered G14 classified.»
FBI Agent 2:»G14 classified. That’s good.» (because he knows it’s a [GSA] classification… not investigation)
Detective Carter (played by Chris Tucker):»Y’all think this is real funny. Give Carter the big G14 classified case. I cannot believe this shit! First, I get a bullshit assignment,
now, Mr. [Rice-a-Roni]…» ❋ Sicinthemind (2010)