sort of

From sort (noun) + of. The adverbial use is derived from the use of the term as an adjective in phrases such as “a sort of [something]”.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈsɔːt‿əv/, [ˈsɔːʔ əv], [ˈsət‿əv]
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsɔɹt‿əv/, [ˈsɔɹɾ‿əv]

• Audio (General American):

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• Audio (General Australian):

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sort of (not comparable)

1. (informal) Preceded by a (and sometimes also followed by a): of a person, thing, etc.: similar but not identical to another person, thing, etc.

   Synonym: of sorts

   • 1819 December 20 (indicated as 1820), Walter Scott, chapter I, in Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC, page 9:

     Sandals, bound with thongs made of boars' hide, protected the feet, and a sort of roll of thin leather was twined artificially round the legs, and, ascending above the calf, left the knees bare, like those of a Scottish Highlander.

   • 1823, [Walter Scott], “Chapter VIII. The Interview.”, in Quentin Durward. […], volume III, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC, page 216:

     This young lady, the daughter of my old friend and companion in arms, the richest heiress in Burgundy, has confessed a sort of a—what was I going to say?—in short, she is a fool, […]

   • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXXIX, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC, page 305:

     Nothing was too small to receive attention, if a supervising eye could suggest improvements likely to conduce to the common welfare. Mr. Gordon Burnage, for instance, personally visited dust-bins and back premises, accompanied by a sort of village bailiff, going his round like a commanding officer doing billets.

   • 1963, Margery Allingham, “Foreword: The Turk Street Mile”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 8:

     'I understand that the district was considered a sort of sanctuary,' the Chief was saying. 'An Alsatia like the ancient one behind the Strand, or Saffron Hill before the First World War. They tell me there was a recognized swag-market down here.'

sort of (not comparable)

1. (informal) Sometimes expressing hesitation, reluctance, etc.: to some extent but not entirely; approximately, in a way, not quite, somewhat.

   Synonyms: kind of, kinda, partially

   It sort of makes sense the way he explains it, but I still don’t really understand.

   • 1839, [Frederick] Marryat, A Diary in America, with Remarks on Its Institutions. […], volume II, London: […] [J. L. Cox and Sons] for Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longmans, […], →OCLC, pages 217–218:

     A Yankee girl, who wished to hire herself out, was asked if she had any followers, or sweethearts? After a little hesitation, she replied, "Well, now, can't exactly say; I bees a sorter courted, and a sorter not; reckon more a sorter yes than a sorter no."

   • 1868 August, Bret Harte, “[Sketches.] The Luck of Roaring Camp.”, in The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Sketches (The Riverside Library), Boston, Mass.; New York, N.Y.: Houghton Mifflin Company […], published 1869, →OCLC, page 12:

     The rosewood cradle—packed eighty miles by mule—had, in Stumpy's way of putting it, "sorter killed the rest of the furniture." So the rehabilitation of the cabin became a necessity.

   • 1901–1903, [George] Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman. A Comedy and a Philosophy, Westminster [London]: Archibald Constable & Co., published 1903, →OCLC, Act II, page 67:

     I'll sort of borrow the money from my dad until I get on my own feet; and then I can own up and pay up at the same time.

   • 1912 September, Charles Alden Seltzer, “Love’s International”, in The Outing Magazine: Sport, Adventure, Travel, Fiction, volume LX, number 6, New York, N.Y.; Chicago, Ill.: Outing Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 680, column 1:

     'Webb,' he says sorta sorrowful like, 'it looks like a howlin' shame to have a bang-up American girl hooked up to a money-grubbin' member of the British nobility. It don't in no way fit in with my ideas of the speerut of American independence!'

   • 1916 March 11, Charles E. Van Loan, “His Folks. Chapter III.”, in The Saturday Evening Post, volume 188, number 37, Philadelphia, Pa.; London: Curtis Publishing Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 15, column 2:

     "Why—why, we sort of expected he'd be here!" says she.

   • 1930, Arnold Bennett, “Violet and Ceria”, in Imperial Palace, London: Cassell & Company […], →OCLC, section I, page 509:

     I don't believe they sort of understand English people, Italians don't. They can't.

   • 1993 July, William R. Scott, “Sort of a Hero”, in Scott Stuckey, editor, Boys’ Life, volume LXXXIII, number 7, Irving, Tex.: Boy Scouts of America, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 34, column 2:

     When Tommy's folks heard about it they were angry with him, and with Chuck for using him to play such a mean trick on Vern. In fact the whole thing sorta backfired on old Chuck—and on me and Pete too. Instead of laughing about it, most people thought it was pretty crummy.

   • 2023 April 5, Pip Dunn, “‘196s’ Giving Commuters a Smoother Ride”, in Rail, number 980, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 55:

     Messy trains are horrible, but you can sort of understand passengers leaving their sandwich wrappers and paper cups if there is nowhere to dispose of them.

• sorta, sort-of

• “a sort of..” under “sort, n.²”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, June 2025.
• “(a) sort of, o’, a, sorter” under “sort, n.²”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, June 2025.
• “sort of, phrase”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.

• froots