a number of things or persons sharing a particular characteristic, or set of characteristics, that causes them to be regarded as a group, more or less precisely defined or designated; class; category.
a criminal of the most vicious type.
a thing or person regarded as a member of a class or category; kind; sort (usually followed byof ).
This is some type of mushroom.
Informal. a person, regarded as reflecting or typifying a certain line of work, environment, etc..
a couple of civil service types.
a thing or person that represents perfectly or in the best way a class or category; model.
the very type of a headmaster.
Printing.
a rectangular piece or block, now usually of metal, having on its upper surface a letter or character in relief.
such pieces or blocks collectively.
a similar piece in a typewriter or the like.
such pieces collectively.
a printed character or printed characters.
a headline in large type.
face.
Biology.
a genus or species that most nearly exemplifies the essential characteristics of a higher group.
the one or more specimens on which the description and naming of a species is based.
Agriculture.
the inherited features of an animal or breed that are favorable for any given purpose.
dairy type.
a strain, breed, or variety of animal, or a single animal, belonging to a specific kind.
Also called type-word. Logic, Linguistics. the general form of a word, expression, symbol, or the like in contrast to its particular instances.
The type “and” in “red and white and blue” has two separate tokens.
the pattern or model from which something is made.
an image or figure produced by impressing or stamping, as the principal figure or device on either side of a coin or medal.
a distinctive or characteristic mark or sign.
a symbol of something in the future, as an Old Testament event serving as a prefiguration of a New Testament event.
Medicine/Medical. blood group.
a kind, class, or category, the constituents of which share similar characteristics
a subdivision of a particular class of things or people; sort
what type of shampoo do you use?
the general form, plan, or design distinguishing a particular group
informal a person who typifies a particular quality
he's the administrative type
informal a person, esp of a specified kind
he's a strange type
a small block of metal or more rarely wood bearing a letter or character in relief for use in printing
such pieces collectively
characters printed from type; print
biology
the taxonomic group the characteristics of which are used for defining the next highest group, for example Rattus norvegicus (brown rat) is the type species of the rat genus Rattus
( as modifier )
a type genus
a type species
See type specimen
the characteristic device on a coin
linguistics a symbol regarded as standing for the class of all symbols identical to it Compare token
logic a class of expressions or of the entities they represent that can all enter into the same syntactic relations. The theory of types was advanced by Bertrand Russell to avoid the liar paradox, Russell's paradox, etc
philosophy a universal. If a sentence always has the same meaning whenever it is used, the meaning is said to be a property of the sentence-type Compare token
Christian theol a figure, episode, or symbolic factor resembling some future reality in such a way as to foreshadow or prefigure it
rare a distinctive sign or mark
to write (copy) on a typewriter
(tr) to be a symbol of; typify
(tr) to decide the type of; clarify into a type
(tr) med to determine the blood group of (a blood sample)
(tr) Christian theol to foreshadow or serve as a symbol of (some future reality)
type or form
archetype
printing type or photographic process
collotype
When preceded by a modifier, type meaning “kind, sort” is sometimes used without a following of: This type furnace uses very little current. In writing, a hyphen is often placed between type and the preceding word or words: a magnetic-type holder; a New England-type corn pudding. This construction is frequently criticized by usage guides; it is most typical of journalistic writing and advertising and occurs rarely in formal speech or writing. In almost all cases the construction can be rendered fully standard either by restoring of after type, with no hyphen ( this type of furnace; a New England type of corn pudding ) or by omitting type altogether ( a magnetic holder).
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English: “symbol, figure” (from Middle French ), from Latin typus “bas-relief, ground plan,” from Greek týpos “blow, impression”
A type is a specific category of things or people that have something in common. Your favorite type of candy might be dark chocolate, while your brother's favorite type is jelly beans. There are two basic sorts of types: first, a group of similar things — and in biology, specifically, "an organism with the essential characteristics of its group." The second type of type consists of letters, numbers, or symbols that are printed or shown on a computer screen, like the extra-large type in your grandpa's library book. As a verb, to type means to use a typewriter or keyboard to write.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Bitzer said the company has been clear that the plan is to manufacture a single type of appliance at the plant: refrigerators with the freezer on the bottom.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
The type of vegetation in a neighborhood also affects mosquito populations.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
McAidoo was a real livewire in the friendly against Inter Milan, coming close to scoring the winner, and the manager was suitably impressed afterwards saying the youngster is the type of winger he "loves".
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
The results suggest that the organisms living in the sediment are not equally interested in every type of carbon.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 3, 2026
In the process he discovered that I didn’t know how to type.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
We need a Graeme Souness -type manager who won't let players just turn up to get their huge salaries.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2025
Unlike for the bulk of his works which he installs guerrilla-style without asking, Invader sought and got the museum’s permission to cement the red-and-white Space Invader -type alien into place overlooking the city.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 4, 2024
The therapist version offers a confidential soundproof box — one that, ahhh, offers a partner in figuring out how to answer these, “Is it okay?” -type questions.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 28, 2022
“These types of sharp moves can drive both call and put demand higher,” Rizzuto said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
The Wall Street Journal identified 10 people—nine Americans and one Canadian—who pushed back against DHS’s attempts to unmask them through the two types of subpoenas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Aird and Cole have already begun planning follow-up studies to determine whether the results can be reproduced in several other types of cancer.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026
And now it has the war chest to go after more types of consumers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
“This one’s funny,” Angel says when she types up the poem “Snowball” by Shel Silverstein.
From "Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero" by Kelly J. Baptist
She typed a letter, ostensibly from the water authority.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
The BBC is not disclosing what the researchers typed into ChatGPT.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
Whether the lawyers were laughing when they typed this is known only to them.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026
There is the typed text of Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 speech, "I Have a Dream," and a jersey worn by Roberto Clemente, the first Latino to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
I stared at the brief typed words where Lieutenant Rahms’s finger rested.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
The digital wallets that allow online shoppers to click to avoid manually typing in their credit card numbers are largely operated by technology giants like Apple Pay and Google Pay and PayPal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
A pamphlet from the Central District of California that touted “front-page Federal cases” hung in the window of a court reporting classroom, where students practiced typing 200 words per minute.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
My partner wants to turn off the light and go to sleep, but I'm still frantically typing on my phone.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
If you’re not, you’ve got to use money, which is hard to get, whereas you get shares by typing zeros into a spreadsheet.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
When she rang the Wilkinsons’ doorbell, Mrs. Wilkinson led her into the den, where Mr. Wilkinson sat at a large desk typing something on a cream-colored typewriter.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
