sortation

American

[sawr-tey-shuhn] / sɔrˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

the process or result of sorting things, especially computationally or mechanically.
classification of things.

sortation British

/ sɔːˈteɪʃən /

noun

the process of sorting items into groups sharing a distinguishing quality or characteristic

"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

Etymology

Origin of sortation

First recorded in 1840–50; sort ( def. ) + -ation ( def. )

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.

Sortation centers are meant to relieve stores of the burden of sorting packages for final delivery.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

Sortation centers receive packages for online orders from 30 to 40 surrounding Target stores that are sorted, batched and routed for delivery to local neighborhoods by a third-party carrier or Shipt, which Target owns.

From Washington Times • Dec. 19, 2023

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