category

noun

cat·​e·​go·​ry ˈka-tə-ˌgȯr-ē 

plural categories

1

: any of several fundamental and distinct classes to which entities or concepts belong

Taxpayers fall into one of several categories.

2

: a division within a system of classification

She competed for the award in her age category.

Synonyms

• bracket
• class
• classification
• division
• family
• genus
• grade
• group
• kind
• league
• order
• rank(s)
• rubric
• set
• species
• tier
• type

Examples of category in a Sentence

The cars belong to the same category.

Taxpayers fall into one of several categories.

She competed for the award in her age category.

Recent Examples on the Web

This isn’t the hosiery of their childhood; brands are bringing fresh energy to the category with new materials, comfort and innovative designs. —Lisa Lockwood, WWD, 30 Oct. 2024

The growth stage category has a significant number of repeats from last year, a testament to the strength of those businesses and to the current market’s dearth of exits amid an IPO drought and a cautious M&A climate. —Fortune Editors, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2024

The supporting actress category has long been a welcoming home for musical performances. —Clayton Davis, Variety, 30 Oct. 2024

All data that needs to be retained must be properly categorized, and robust data security policies tailored to the sensitivity of the information should protect each category. —Ilia Sotnikov, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin categoria, from Greek katēgoria predication, category, from katēgorein to accuse, affirm, predicate, from kata- + agora public assembly, from ageirein to gather

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

category

noun

cat·​e·​go·​ry ˈkat-ə-ˌgōr-ē 

-ˌgȯr-

plural categories

1

: one of the divisions or groupings used in a system of classification

"species" and "genus" are biological categories

2

: class entry 1 sense 3a, kind