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.
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
The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies the Western Santa Cruz tortoises as critically endangered, estimating approximately 3,400 tortoises remained as of 2010.
—
Ayana Archie, NPR, 9 Apr. 2025
Kathleen Kelley Reardon, an expert on organizational politics, classifies political environments from minimally to pathologically politicized.
—Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
The curriculum guides middle school students and teachers through building and evaluating computer vision models that can reliably classify fossil shark teeth.
—Christine Wusylko, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2025
The government has traditionally classified it as a nonrenewable fossil fuel.
—Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for classify
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Ayana Archie, NPR, 9 Apr. 2025
Kathleen Kelley Reardon, an expert on organizational politics, classifies political environments from minimally to pathologically politicized.
—Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
The curriculum guides middle school students and teachers through building and evaluating computer vision models that can reliably classify fossil shark teeth.
—Christine Wusylko, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2025
The government has traditionally classified it as a nonrenewable fossil fuel.
—Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for classify
Cite this Entry
“Classify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/classify. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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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