Meaning & use
grouping
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Meanings
nouncountable
A set of people or things placed together because they share a feature.
Grammar: Countable: a grouping, several groupings.
Patterns
- a grouping of something
- grouping by something
The teacher divided the class into three groupings based on reading level.
This grouping of stars is visible in the night sky.
The report uses a different grouping of the data.
noununcountable
The act or process of putting people or things into sets.
Grammar: Uncountable: grouping is the activity, not a specific set.
Patterns
- grouping of something
- the grouping of data
Grouping students by ability can be controversial.
The grouping of these animals is based on their diet.
Careful grouping of the results made the pattern clear.
Word forms
| plural | groupings |
|---|
Common combinations
- natural grouping
- These plants form a natural grouping in the forest.
- social grouping
- Social groupings vary from culture to culture.
- grouping of data
- The grouping of data by region showed a clear trend.
Synonyms and how they differ
- group
- Group is more general and can mean any set of people or things; grouping often emphasizes the act of classifying or a category within a system.
- category
- Category is a class or division in a system; grouping is broader and can refer to the process of making such classes.
- classification
- Classification is the formal process of putting things into groups; grouping is less formal and can also mean the resulting set.
Word family
Commonly confused: grouping or group?
grouping vs group
Group is a general word for a set; grouping often suggests the process of classifying or a category within a larger system.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'grouping' correctly.
Choose one answer.
Grouping is a noun meaning the act of putting things into sets or a set itself. Option A uses it correctly as a noun. Option B uses 'grouping' as a verb, which is wrong; it should be 'grouped' or 'groups'. Option C uses it as if it meant a person, which is incorrect. Option D uses it as a verb after 'to', which is also wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “grouping”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.