classify
Americanverb (used with object)
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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:
All of them must have pedals to classify as an e-bike.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Critics say Japan also differs from many other countries by having out-of-date building regulations that can classify data centres as offices and not industrial facilities.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
Speaking on state television, she said the group would determine who could return home using a colour-coded traffic light system to classify safety.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
Because of this ambiguity, astronomers classify it as a "planetary-mass companion," an object with planet-like mass that orbits a star.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 28, 2026
“I believe some might classify you as weak? Now, have you seen the fellow from the movie house?”
From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys
But, he says, it has successfully shown a ban "can be done" though classifies it as "a bit of an experiment".
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
That’s far from the 20% drop that classifies a bear market, Mayfield pointed out.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 12, 2026
The biotech, which classifies itself as a neuroscience company, is developing nonaddictive treatments for chronic pain.
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
This method classifies weight status based on age and body fat percentage, providing a more direct assessment of adiposity.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 3, 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
Children with special educational needs can sometimes experience sensory difficulties when it comes to food - and are not classified as fussy eaters.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
More than 10,000 short-chain and long-chain industrial chemicals are classified as PFAS.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026
Testifying before the Senate, Fed Chair Kevin Warsh stated that while the AI investment boom will likely push measured prices higher in the near term, it shouldn’t necessarily be classified as inflationary.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
That tension has defined some of the most significant First Amendment battles in American history, including disputes over classified documents, confidential sources and government efforts to identify journalists’ sources.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
Samantha—Sam—and I were both assigned to Cabin 27, along with the rest of the girls from our bus that were classified as Green.
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
The researchers note that a separate recent study by Zanno and Napoli reached a similar conclusion using different methods, classifying Jane and Petey as two distinct species of Nanotyrannus.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 22, 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
"We are also continuing to work with providers who are in the process of correctly classifying courses," a spokesperson added.
From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2026
Employers have long said that classifying such workers as independent contractors gives both businesses and workers flexibility to operate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026
Stopping before the narrow garage, he sniffed the fumes from Paradise with great sensory pleasure, the protruding hairs in his nostrils analyzing, cataloguing, categorizing, and classifying the distinct odors of hot dog, mustard, and lubricant.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
