classify
verb
clas·si·fy
ˈkla-sə-ˌfī 
classified; classifying
1
: to arrange in classes (see class entry 1 sense 3)
classifying books according to subject matter
2
: to consider (someone or something) as belonging to a particular group
The movie is classified as a comedy.
The vehicle is classified as a truck.
Synonyms
Examples of classify in a Sentence
Students will be learning about the ways scientists classify animals.
The online system can classify books by subject.
Recent Examples on the Web
Everyone knows just enough pop psychology to classify friends and strangers: People are toxic or maybe narcissists, simple baskets in which to dump entire ranges of human behavior.
—
Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 19 Apr. 2024
Atharva Veda, a sacred Hindu scripture, classifies cannabis as one of the five most sacred plants on Earth.
—Arbab Ali & Nadeem Sarwar, Saveur, 18 Apr. 2024
PitchBook classifies it as a robotics company valued at $100 million.
—Emilia David, The Verge, 18 Apr. 2024
Previous optical neural networks were often limited to classifying data along just a dozen or so categories—for instance, figuring out whether images represented one of 10 digits.
—IEEE Spectrum, 12 Apr. 2024
Nearly 20% of American children were classified as obese just before the pandemic — up from only 5% some 50 years ago — and lockdowns made the problem worse.
—Kavitha Cardoza, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
The vast majority were classified as routine but a dozen were labeled major or significant.
—USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
Kansas state law classifies adultery as a class C misdemeanor, which carries a sentence of up to a month in jail and/or a fine.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 12 Apr. 2024
On April 19, the jail classified Masten as a fall risk.
—James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2024
Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 19 Apr. 2024
Atharva Veda, a sacred Hindu scripture, classifies cannabis as one of the five most sacred plants on Earth.
—Arbab Ali & Nadeem Sarwar, Saveur, 18 Apr. 2024
PitchBook classifies it as a robotics company valued at $100 million.
—Emilia David, The Verge, 18 Apr. 2024
Previous optical neural networks were often limited to classifying data along just a dozen or so categories—for instance, figuring out whether images represented one of 10 digits.
—IEEE Spectrum, 12 Apr. 2024
Nearly 20% of American children were classified as obese just before the pandemic — up from only 5% some 50 years ago — and lockdowns made the problem worse.
—Kavitha Cardoza, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
The vast majority were classified as routine but a dozen were labeled major or significant.
—USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
Kansas state law classifies adultery as a class C misdemeanor, which carries a sentence of up to a month in jail and/or a fine.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 12 Apr. 2024
On April 19, the jail classified Masten as a fall risk.
—James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'classify.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near classify
Cite this Entry
“Classify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/classify. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
classify
verb
clas·si·fy
ˈklas-ə-ˌfī
classified; classifying
: to arrange in or assign to classes
classify books by subjects
classifier
noun
-ˌfī(-ə)r
Medical Definition
classify
transitive verb
clas·si·fy
ˈklas-ə-ˌfī
classified; classifying
: to arrange in classes that have systematic relations usually founded on common properties
how would you classify these animals
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