classify
Americanverb (used with object)
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classifies,
present (3rd person singular)
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classified,
past participle, past
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classifying
present participle
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to arrange or organize by classes; order according to class.
- Synonyms:
- group, categorize, rate, rank, class
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to assign a classification to (information, a document, etc.).
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to limit the availability of (information, a document, etc.) to authorized persons.
verb
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to arrange or order by classes; categorize
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government to declare (information, documents, etc) of possible aid to an enemy and therefore not available to people outside a restricted group
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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classifiernoun
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unclassifiablenessnoun
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misclassifyverb (used with object)
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overclassifyverb (used with object)
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preclassifyverb (used with object)
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classifiableadjective
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nonclassifiableadjective
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unclassifiableadjective
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unclassifyingadjective
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unclassifiablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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classifysimple
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classifiessimple
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have classifiedperfect
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has classifiedperfect
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am classifyingprogressive
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are classifyingprogressive
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is classifyingprogressive
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have been classifyingperfect progressive
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has been classifyingperfect progressive
Past
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classifiedsimple
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had classifiedperfect
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was classifyingprogressive
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were classifyingprogressive
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had been classifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of classify
First recorded in 1790–1800; from Latin classi(s) class + -fy
Explanation
Humans seem to have the need to classify things, arranging them into different classes by such unifying traits as size, color, or shape. It’s fine to do this to inanimate objects, but doing it to people can be very wrong. The word classify contains the base word class, which means "category" and comes from the Latin classis, which actually referred to an army or group called to arms. It eventually came to mean "a group," and thus classify means "to group." As a security measure, you can also classify information that is not to be shared. Writer Ambrose Bierce once said, “The small part of ignorance that we arrange and classify we give the name of knowledge.”
Vocabulary lists containing classify
Vocabulary of the Common Core
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Academic Vocabulary: Core Tier 2 Words, List 3
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Words Middle Schoolers Should Use for Comparing and Contrasting Texts
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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:
Instead, it uses machine learning to classify inputs to a set of predetermined outputs: “yes” or “no,” a numerical score, or answers on a list.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Meanwhile the US State Department continues to classify travel to China as a Level 2 advisory urging travellers to "exercise increased caution" because of the risk of arbitrary law enforcement, exit bans and detention.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
The invitation comes two days after a federal appeals court upheld the Pentagon's decision to classify Anthropic as a supply chain risk, which prohibits the United States military from using its models.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
In recent decades, scientists have increasingly sought to classify organisms according to genuine evolutionary groups, or clades, that contain a common ancestor and all of its descendants.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026
“You can classify too in the pad,” he says.
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
The UK government classifies them as critical national infrastructure and, according to recent Senedd research, "most jobs in the UK" are now reliant on them.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies the chemical as a probable carcinogen and has linked exposure to bladder cancer, multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026
In Goleta, municipal code classifies licensed gun stores as “general retail,” the same designation given to shops selling sporting goods, clothing, furniture and a wide variety of other items.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
Sunscreen is regulated as a cosmetic in Europe, leading to more variety than in the U.S., which classifies it as an over-the-counter drug.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
He learns the endless terms, the vocabulary that classifies the details of ancient buildings, writing them on separate index cards and making illustrations on the back: architrave, entablature, tympanum, voussoir.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Secondly, restructure Tata Sons by merging with itself two businesses which would change the way it is classified by India's central bank, helping the group potentially avoid a listing.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
If they are classified as being too sick to work and also claim PIP, that increases to around £2,000, tax free.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
Researchers are also exploring combination therapies that target several immune cell populations at once, while continuing to investigate unresolved questions about how macrophages should be classified.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026
Readings above 150 are classified as unhealthy, while levels above 300 are considered hazardous.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
As the paper’s in-house lawyer, it would be his job to advise the editors about the possible legal fallout from publishing classified documents.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
The CDC has not yet included the Pennsylvania deaths in its national tally while it reviews the records and develops standardized criteria for classifying measles deaths.
From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026
"It is therefore highly probable that we will end up classifying it as a megafire."
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
In addition, the German Federal Office for Chemicals recently proposed classifying TFA as potentially toxic to human reproduction.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 9, 2026
In Kentucky, lawmakers recently passed a bill classifying TV-viewing patterns as “sensitive data” deserving of broader legal protections and transparency measures.
From Slate ● May 3, 2026
In fact, mathematicians started analyzing and classifying the points where a function blows up: singularities.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
