Meaning & use
Classify
Last updated
To arrange or organize items into categories according to shared characteristics.
See it in a sentence
Librarians classify books by subject, author, and title.
The government moved to classify the documents, restricting who could view them.
A note on using this word
"Classify" has a second, more specialized meaning in government and military contexts: to officially designate information as secret or restricted.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
declassify
Another way to use it
2. verb
To officially designate information or documents as secret or restricted.
The report was classified shortly after it was written.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Classify”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.