kind of

Idioms  

1. Also, sort of. Rather, somewhat, as in I'm kind of hungry, or The bird looked sort of like a sparrow. [Colloquial; c. 1800] This usage should not be confused with a kind of or a sort of, which are much older and refer to a borderline member of a given category (as in a kind of a shelter or a sort of a bluish color). Shakespeare had this usage in Two Gentlemen of Verona (3:1): “My master is a kind of a knave.” Also see of a kind.

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Example Sentences

He noted that progress in AI, computing, and open collaborative science is making this kind of research increasingly possible.

From Science Daily • Jun. 10, 2026

Or, as Unkeless puts it, “The book kind of tells you what it is.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

“I think that, yes, there was a kind of risk taken by the Iranians, but it doesn’t seem that Iran really wanted to be engaged in a full-scale confrontation with Israel,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

"That's the kind of gulf that we've got," said McClarkin.

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

"That's the way for people to know what kind of governor they have," the Duke's butler said.

From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios

Related Words

• rather