alphabetize

especially British, al·pha·bet·ise

[al-fuh-bi-tahyz]

verb (used with object)

alphabetized, alphabetizing 

1. to put or arrange in alphabetical order.

2. to express by or furnish with an alphabet.

alphabetize

/ ˈælfəbəˌtaɪz /

verb

1. to arrange in conventional alphabetical order

2. to express by an alphabet

Other Word Forms

• alphabetization noun
• alphabetizer noun
• misalphabetize verb (used with object)
• unalphabetized adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of alphabetize¹

First recorded in 1865–70; alphabet + -ize

Example Sentences

Apparently, drinking has so scrambled Josh’s brain that alphabetizing books takes every ounce of his strength.

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With her latest book, she took 10 years of her diaries and alphabetized them by the first letter of the first word of each sentence, then cut the book down into the volume published.

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Bella, 15, arrived with a stack of notebooks alphabetized by subject, pencils sorted by color and a binder that read: “High school — magical years!”

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A local mortuary working with the county took possession of the other four bodies and the cremated remains and has since sorted and alphabetized the cremated remains.

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“It’s hard to see your ignorance alphabetized,” he said.

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