category

noun

cat·​e·​go·​ry ˈka-tə-ˌgȯr-ē How to pronounce category (audio)
plural categories
Synonyms of category
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 of category

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But when all acting categories are counted, Tom could surpass Slezak this year for most overall wins. — Michael Schneider, Variety, 29 Oct. 2026 Coppola was Oscar nominated in the Original Screenplay category for Wes Anderon’s Moonrise Kingdom. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2026 Nominations in each category are shaped by triple j staff, while the final judging panel of each award consists of the music and on-air teams at triple j, Unearthed, Double J and rage. — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 29 Oct. 2026 Excluding the volatile energy and food categories, core inflation also picked up last month. — Christopher Rugaber, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for category

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of category was in 1588

Rhymes for category

See All Rhymes for category

Browse Nearby Words

categorize
category
category killer
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Category.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/category. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

category

noun
cat·​e·​go·​ry ˈkat-ə-ˌgōr-ē How to pronounce category (audio)
-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

More from Merriam-Webster on category

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about category

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Pyrrhic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All