sorta

American

[sawr-tuh] / ˈsɔr tə /

adverb

Informal.

sort of; somewhat.

I'm sorta nervous about asking for a date.

Etymology

Origin of sorta

A phonetic spelling representing the pronunciation of sort of in continuous rapid speech

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.

We don’t know what else to say: It appears to be somewhat … sorta … kinda … over.

From Slate • Apr. 18, 2026

Jar Jar was, of course, the duck-billed breakout star, sorta, of 1999’s “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 13, 2025

So I sorta read a few pages of it and thought, Yeah, I’d like to do that.”

From New York Times • Jun. 7, 2024

But “The Daily Show” is a special case because of how Stewart sculpted it to be not merely a satirical sorta newscast.

From Salon • Feb. 4, 2024

"I totally understand. I mean, I get it. Not the punishment part, but the part about your mom. My secret is sorta like that too."

From "Ghost" by Jason Reynolds

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023