Synonyms

classify

American

[klas-uh-fahy] / ˈklæs əˌfaɪ /

verb (used with object)

to arrange or organize by classes; order according to class.

Synonyms:

group, categorize, rate, rank, class
to assign a classification to (information, a document, etc.).
to limit the availability of (information, a document, etc.) to authorized persons.

classify British

/ ˈklæsɪˌfaɪ /

verb

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

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of classify

First recorded in 1790–1800; from Latin classi(s) class + -fy

Explanation

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.”

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I was an early adopter of “bop” back when we were still using the word to classify the singular bounciness of Carly Rae Jepsen songs in 2015.

From Salon • May 10, 2026

Matt Maley, chief market strategist at Miller Tabak and Co., said bitcoin needs to break above $80,000 in a “meaningful way,” and then sustain that breakout to classify as a bullish signal for the cryptocurrency.

From MarketWatch • May 4, 2026

The initiative, funded by Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and other businesses, allowed gig companies to classify their workers as contractors rather than employees.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

Justice Samuel Alito’s majority opinion recognizes that the Constitution “almost never permits a State to discriminate on the basis of race” and reaffirms that “strict scrutiny” applies whenever governments intentionally classify citizens by race.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

“I’d classify Reggie as high in terms of attention,” he said.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023