assort
Americanverb (used with object)
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assorts,
present (3rd person singular)
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assorted,
past participle, past
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assorting
present participle
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to distribute, place, or arrange according to kind or class; classify; sort.
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to furnish with a suitable assortment or variety of goods; make up of articles likely to suit a demand.
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Archaic. to group with others of the same or similar kind; connect or identify as of a similar class; associate (usually followed bywith ).
verb (used without object)
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assorts,
present (3rd person singular)
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assorted,
past participle, past
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assorting
present participle
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to agree in sort or kind; be matched or suited.
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to associate; consort.
verb
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(tr) to arrange or distribute into groups of the same type; classify
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to fit or fall into a class or group; match
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(tr) to supply with an assortment of merchandise
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(tr) to put in the same category as others; group
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rare to keep company; consort
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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assortsimple
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assortssimple
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have assortedperfect
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has assortedperfect
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am assortingprogressive
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are assortingprogressive
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is assortingprogressive
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have been assortingperfect progressive
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has been assortingperfect progressive
Past
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assortedsimple
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had assortedperfect
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was assortingprogressive
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were assortingprogressive
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had been assortingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of assort
From the Middle French word assorter, dating back to 1480–90. See as-, sort
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.
See Examples For:
The law states that alleles of different genes assort independently of one another during gamete formation.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
This data helps retailers better understand their customers, leading to improvements in how they assort and design stores.Participation.
From Forbes ● Apr. 8, 2014
This occurs because chromosomes, on which the genes reside, assort independently during meiosis and crossovers cause most genes on the same chromosomes to also behave independently.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 25, 2013
Many species, including primates and wolves, assort themselves by means of a dominance hierarchy.
From Scientific American ● Dec. 19, 2011
"This simple wreath may," she said, smiling as she surveyed herself; "but I believe that this little rustic person would not assort very well with the splendid ornament you describe."
From Mystery and Confidence (Vol. 1 of 3) A Tale by Elizabeth Pinchard
The values along each forked pathway can be multiplied because each gene assorts independently.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
To be a "politic," clever fellow, a vast deal more humoring of prejudices, errors, and follies, is requisite, than at all assorts with true honesty of character.
From The International Monthly, Volume 5, No. 4, April, 1852 by Various
The true teacher after large preparation assorts his material, and selects such matter as is appropriate to his own class.
From Organizing and Building Up the Sunday School Modern Sunday School Manuals by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut
She smiles, yet in a somewhat constrained fashion, that assorts ill with the inborn self-possession that as a rule characterizes her.
From Rossmoyne by Unknown
Then I proceed with the distinction, how ill fancy assorts with imagination, as instanced in Milton's Limbo.
From The Literary Remains of Samuel Taylor Coleridge by Henry Nelson Coleridge
Inside were my elementary school report cards, two programs from concerts I played as a percussionist with the Rhode Island Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, and other assorted evidence of a childhood.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
That kid is striking out with a bat and assorted gear that cost more than a Cape Cod weekend.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Supplies for the vessels—food, fuel, assorted goods for the shops on board—come from local suppliers in the region or from ports, especially in Bahrain, where ships with the Navy’s Combat Logistics Command bring in supplies.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
Meanwhile, assorted other parades and caravans are traveling Route 66 in other states this year; most of them concentrate on short segments.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2026
He had nothing in common with the stray dogs in the street, much less with the thoroughbred racers that assorted families of the aristocracy were raising.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
Note that we are assuming the interacting genes are not linked; they are still assorting independently into gametes.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
Mr Baker seems to be randomly assorting clips for a montage, and the characters feel so real and idiosyncratic that it’s riveting even without a clear sense of plot or direction.
From Economist ● Sep. 13, 2017
The same is true of Comic-Con’s purpose for the publishers, studios and assorting celebrities and creators who are involved.
From Time ● Sep. 5, 2012
Even without the new additions, Yale custodians had years of editing and assorting ahead of them.
From Time Magazine Archive
Of this number, those employed in handling money are divided into two forces, under the direction, respectively, of the receiving teller and the assorting teller.
From The Galaxy, May, 1877 Vol. XXIII.—May, 1877.—No. 5. by Various
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.
