kind of

Idioms  

1. Also, sort of. Rather, somewhat, as in I'm kind of hungry, or The bird looked sort of like a sparrow. [Colloquial; c. 1800] This usage should not be confused with a kind of or a sort of, which are much older and refer to a borderline member of a given category (as in a kind of a shelter or a sort of a bluish color). Shakespeare had this usage in Two Gentlemen of Verona (3:1): “My master is a kind of a knave.” Also see of a kind.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

kind of

“They want to build a very specific kind of world,” Vavreck said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026

"It's massively frustrating when these kind of incidents occur, especially when it's caused by carelessness and us humans and these poor birds have suffered because of it," she said.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

"It's easy for us to kind of look at them and think we know what's going on, but we don't really," Waggoner said.

From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026

None of Kia’s worthy rivals comes close to that kind of commitment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026

Wolf watched what was happening with ears swiveling: as if, thought Torak, the pouch were making some kind of noise.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

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Related Words

• rather

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