categorize

American  

[kat-i-guh-rahyz] / ˈkæt ɪ gəˌraɪz /

especially British, categorise

verb (used with object)

categorized, categorizing

1. to arrange in categories or classes; classify.

2. to describe by labeling or giving a name to; characterize.

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categorize British  

/ ˈkætɪɡəˌraɪz /

verb

1. (tr) to place in a category; classify

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Other Word Forms

• categorist noun
• categorization noun
• decategorization noun
• decategorize verb (used with object)
• miscategorize verb (used with object)
• miscategorized adjectivemiscategorized, miscategorizing
• recategorize verb (used with object)
• subcategorization noun
• uncategorized adjective

Etymology

Origin of categorize

First recorded in 1695–1705; categor(y) + -ize

Example Sentences

Apps like Rocket Money can link bank accounts, categorize spending habits and flag unused subscriptions.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

McAlpine acknowledges that her film has been difficult to categorize.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2026

This administration is not the first to use AI; federal agencies have been gradually stitching the technology into their work for years, including to translate documents, analyze data and categorize public comments, among other uses.

From Salon • Feb. 2, 2026

The model requires human input, but once trained, the AI can categorize parts at a speed and scale that human workers could never match, Demaree said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

I could picture his excitement at finding a flower he couldn't categorize, growing in some lonely, desolate part of Iraq.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

Related Words

• classify
• pigeonhole