classify

[ klas-uh-fahy ]

/ ˈklæs əˌfaɪ /

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See synonyms for: classify / classified / classifies on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), clas·si·fied, clas·si·fy·ing.

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

to assign a classification to (information, a document, etc.).Compare classification (def. 5).

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

OTHER WORDS FOR classify

1 class, rank, rate, categorize, group.

See synonyms for classify on Thesaurus.com

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of classify

1790–1800; <Latin classi(s) class + -fy

OTHER WORDS FROM classify

clas·si·fi·a·ble, adjectivemis·clas·si·fy, verb (used with object), mis·clas·si·fied, mis·clas·si·fy·ing.non·clas·si·fi·a·ble, adjectiveo·ver·clas·si·fy, verb (used with object), o·ver·clas·si·fied, o·ver·clas·si·fy·ing.

pre·clas·si·fy, verb (used with object), pre·clas·si·fied, pre·clas·si·fy·ing.un·clas·si·fi·a·ble, adjectiveun·clas·si·fi·a·ble·ness, nounun·clas·si·fi·a·bly, adverbun·clas·si·fy·ing, adjective

Words nearby classify

classification schedule, classified, classified ad, classified advertising, classifier, classify, class inclusion, class interval, classis, classism, classless

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use classify in a sentence

It’s certainly arguable that California’s law requiring Uber and Lyft drivers be classified as employees is a bad law with unintended consequences.
The next global tech giant may come from India|Adam Lashinsky|August 24, 2020|Fortune
That ballot measure would exempt app-based drivers from having to comply with AB 5, the state law limiting when employers can classify their workers as independent contractors.
Sacramento Report: San Diego Bills Survive Bad Day for Housing Proposals|Andrew Keatts and Sara Libby|August 21, 2020|Voice of San Diego
For now, we’re classifying it as a living project and welcoming spin-offs.
The Minecraft Institvte of Technology|Tate Ryan-Mosley|August 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review
In the next step, you need to classify your user base into specific groups, each of which will be targeted for unique marketing campaigns that cater to its needs.
How to use in-market audiences for better search campaigns|Harikrishna Kundariya|August 18, 2020|Search Engine Watch

Both ride-hailing services threatened to temporarily shut down their operations in California after a judge declined to carve out an exemption for them from AB5, the new state law that would require the companies to classify drivers as employees.
It really looks like Uber and Lyft might suspend operations in California|Michelle Cheng|August 15, 2020|Quartz
Or perhaps we instinctively classify Cubans as a people accustomed to being told what it is they need and want.
Castro's Hipster Apologists Want to Keep Cuba ‘Authentically’ Poor|Michael Moynihan|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
While some may classify that inactivity as laziness or indifference, Brown suggests the contrary.
Deepwater Horizon: Life Drowning in Oil|Samuel Fragoso|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If the doctor is biased, he may still classify it as a disorder that can lead to legal repercussions.
Coming Out Kinky to Your Doctor, in Black and Blue|Heather Boerner|October 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The end goal is to classify what happens when the memory goes awry.
DARPA’s $40 Million Plan to Save Soldiers’ Brains|Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Michael Zhang|July 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There is a debate among experts about how to classify and define the effects of a lithium-ion battery meltdown.
Flight 370 Was Carrying 440 Pounds of Dangerous Batteries|Clive Irving|May 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We would classify these two departments in this way, though in the highest dramatic work elements of both phases are combined.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
Classify each leukocyte seen, and calculate what percentage each variety is of the whole number classified.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Apple-growers classify apples into three different kinds, each consisting of a great many separate varieties.
The Wonder Book of Knowledge|Various
Among them he found so many curious and various specimens that he was induced not only to draw but also to classify them.
Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician|Frederick Niecks
It will be an useful task if I attempt to classify the evidence on each side, and to draw an inference therefrom.
Ancient Faiths And Modern|Thomas Inman

British Dictionary definitions for classify

classify

/ (ˈklæsɪˌfaɪ) /

verb -fies, -fying or -fied (tr)

to arrange or order by classes; categorize

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

Derived forms of classify

classifiable, adjectiveclassifier, noun

Word Origin for classify

C18: back formation from classification

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

classify

OTHER WORDS FOR classify

Origin of classify

OTHER WORDS FROM classify

Words nearby classify

Words related to classify

How to use classify in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for classify

Derived forms of classify

Word Origin for classify