cat ‧ e ‧ go ‧ ry S2 W2 AC /ˈkætəɡ ə ri, ˈkætɪɡ ə ri $ -ɡɔːri/ BrE AmE noun ( plural categories ) [countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ category , ↑ categorization ; verb : ↑ categorize ]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Late Latin ; Origin: categoria , from Greek , from kategorein 'to accuse, make a statement about' , from kata- ( ⇨ ↑ cataclysm ) + agora 'public gathering' ]
a group of people or things that are all of the same type
category of
There are five categories of workers.
people in the over-45 age category
Seats are available in eight of the ten price categories.
fall into/belong in/fit into a category
Voters fall into three main categories.
Williams’ style does not fit easily into the category of jazz.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ belong to a category
A lot of water plants belong to this category.
▪ fall/come into a category
The data we collected fell into two categories.
▪ fit into a category
Rogers doesn’t fit into either category.
▪ put somebody/something into categories
People are individuals and you can’t really put them into categories.
▪ group somebody/something into categories
Let’s start by grouping the books into categories.
▪ divide/split something into categories
The exhibition of 360 paintings is divided into three categories.
■ adjectives
▪ a broad/general category
Our range of programmes come into three broad categories.
▪ the main category
This is the main category of patients.
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There are two main categories of university fees.
▪ a major category
a major category of vehicle
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Theft is one of the major categories of crime.
▪ a special category (=one that nothing else belongs to)
The constitution was defined as a special category of law.
▪ a distinct/separate category (=clearly different from others)
Animals fall into distinct categories.
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THESAURUS
▪ type/kind/sort one member of a group of people or things that have similar features or qualities. Type is the usual word to use in scientific or technical contexts. In everyday English, people usually use kind or sort :
What type of fish is this?
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There are two main personality types.
▪ kind a type of person or thing. Kind is less formal than type , and is used especially in everyday English:
What kind of food do you like?
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There were all kinds of people there.
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The study is the first of its kind in Ireland.
▪ sort especially British English a type of person or thing. Sort is less formal than type , and is used especially in everyday British English:
What sort of person is she?
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I like all sorts of music.
▪ form one type of something from all the ones that are possible – used especially when things have different physical characteristics, or in certain fixed phrases:
There are many forms of heart disease.
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Melanoma is a form of skin cancer.
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The first primitive life forms consumed various materials, including hydrogen sulfide, and released oxygen.
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In those days, horses were the commonest form of transport.
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We need to use alternative forms of energy.
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a popular form of entertainment
▪ variety a type that is slightly different from others in the same group:
The French make many varieties of cheese.
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This is a new variety of apple.
▪ species a type of plant or animal, which can breed together to produce plants or animals of the same type:
These forests contain many species of trees.
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The giant panda is an endangered species.
▪ of a ... nature formal used when talking about a particular type of thing:
Many people find it embarrassing to discuss problems of a sexual nature.
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Minor incidents of this nature normally occur about once a month.
▪ category a group of people or things that are all of the same type – used when there is a clear system for deciding which group something belongs to:
The three major categories of rock are: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary.
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She won the best actress category at the Oscars.
▪ brand used when talking about the particular way that someone does something or thinks about something, when this is very different from that of other people:
She has her own special brand of humour.
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He has called for a more positive brand of politics.
▪ genre formal a type of art, music, literature etc. that has a particular style or feature:
He has written novels in several genres, most notably science fiction.