Meaning & use
sorter
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Meanings
nouncountable
A machine that puts things into groups, especially letters or mail.
Grammar: Countable: a sorter, two sorters. Often used with 'mail' or 'letter' before it.
Patterns
- a mail sorter
- a letter sorter
The mail sorter at the post office separates letters by zip code.
Our office bought a new sorter to handle the daily post.
The machine broke down, so we had to sort the packages by hand.
nouncountable
A person whose job is to put things into groups or categories.
Grammar: Countable; usually with a word like 'mail', 'recycling' or 'egg' before it.
Patterns
- a mail sorter
- work as a sorter
She works as a mail sorter at the distribution center.
The egg sorters check each egg for cracks before packing.
He got a job as a sorter in the recycling plant.
Word forms
| plural | sorters |
|---|
Common combinations
- mail sorter
- The mail sorter stopped working at noon.
- letter sorter
- A letter sorter can handle thousands of envelopes an hour.
- recycling sorter
- The recycling sorter separates glass from plastic.
- coin sorter
- He keeps a coin sorter next to the cash register.
Synonyms and how they differ
- classifier
- More formal and general; it can describe a person or system that groups things, not usually a machine in an office.
- separator
- Focuses on pulling things apart rather than putting them into ordered groups.
Word family
Commonly confused: sorter or sought after?
sorter vs sought after
This sounds similar but is an adjective phrase meaning 'wanted by many people'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'sorter' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Sorter' is a noun for a machine or person, so 'the sorter machine' fits. The other options use it as a verb, but the verb is 'sort' (she sorts, he sorts).
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sorter”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.