Words / B2

KLAS-if-eye/ˈklæsɪfaɪ/

To classify is to put people or things into groups by type: classify waste as recycling, classify a document. Sort and group are everyday; categorise is a close cousin. Classification is the noun. In speech, put it in the right group is enough. The word is official and academic. Do not classify a person as a “type” in casual chat if you only mean describe — it can sound clinical or rude.

Meaning

To put people or things into groups according to type.

Examples

• “The library classifies books by subject.”
• “Staff must classify each complaint as urgent or routine before it reaches the desk.”
• “The museum classified the finds by century, not by the field they came from.”

Good to know

Put into groups by type. Everyday: sort / group. Noun: classification. Close: categorise. Official/academic tone.

Near in meaning

categorise

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