Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

sortation

American  
[sawr-tey-shuhn] / sɔrˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

  1. the process or result of sorting things, especially computationally or mechanically.

  2. classification of things.


sortation British  
/ sɔːˈteɪʃən /

noun

  1. the process of sorting items into groups sharing a distinguishing quality or characteristic

"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

Etymology

Origin of sortation

First recorded in 1840–50; sort ( def. ) + -ation ( def. )

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.

The “last mile” facilities include Amazon’s delivery stations and sortation centers, and are the last leg in a package’s journey through Amazon’s vast distribution network before reaching a customer’s doorstep.

From Seattle Times

Meanwhile, Target is aiming to increase its shipping speed by augmenting its own warehouses, called sortation centers, with a $100 million investment announced earlier this year.

From Washington Times

Sortation centers receive packages for online orders from 30 to 40 surrounding Target stores that are sorted, batched and routed for delivery to local neighborhoods by a third-party carrier or Shipt, which Target owns.

From Washington Times

The company - which currently has 10 around the country and plans a modest increase to at least 15 by early 2026 — said it expects to deliver 9 million packages from sortation centers during the holiday season.

From Washington Times

“Amazon expanded rapidly to create new fulfillment centers and sortation centers, and they did put a hold on a lot of materials around the Americas and around the globe,” said Ryan Caffyn-Parsons, the chief executive for Americas at Unispace, a global workplace design, strategy and construction firm.

From New York Times