classify

American  

[klas-uh-fahy] / ˈklæs əˌfaɪ /

verb (used with object)

classified, classifying

1. to arrange or organize by classes; order according to class.

   Synonyms:

   group, categorize, rate, rank, class

2. to assign a classification to (information, a document, etc.).

3. to limit the availability of (information, a document, etc.) to authorized persons.

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classify British  

/ ˈklæsɪˌfaɪ /

verb

1. to arrange or order by classes; categorize

2. government to declare (information, documents, etc) of possible aid to an enemy and therefore not available to people outside a restricted group

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Other Word Forms

• classifiable adjective
• classifier noun
• misclassify verb (used with object)
• nonclassifiable adjective
• overclassify verb (used with object)
• preclassify verb (used with object)
• unclassifiable adjective
• unclassifiableness noun
• unclassifiably adverb
• unclassifying adjective

Etymology

Origin of classify

First recorded in 1790–1800; from Latin classi(s) class + -fy

Example Sentences

The vice president pretended to pivot from “a longer discussion” of the subject, but then he immediately started pontificating about the culture’s “desire” to classify “celestial beings who fly around “as aliens.”

From Salon • Apr. 1, 2026

Moor Mother’s discography, much like her professional life, is difficult to classify.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

"The central and innovative approach of our study is to classify patient data according to the severity of the original COVID-19 disease," says Yang Li.

From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2026

Britain's Online Safety Act does not explicitly classify disinformation as a harm.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

And if nothing more, invisibility has taught my nose to classify the stenches of death.

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison

Related Words

• allocate
• analyze
• arrange
• distribute
• divide
• label
• organize
• segregate