B1noun2K

Category

UK /["/ˈkætəɡəri/"]/US /["/ˈkætəɡɔːri/"]/

Definition

a group of people or things with particular features in common

In simple words: A group of things that are similar or share characteristics.

Examples

The teacher asked us to sort the books into different category.
For her project, she chose a category of animals to study.
There are various category of music that I enjoy listening to.
In our discussion, we covered the category of cultural differences.
Not every movie falls into a specific category; some are hybrids.
The app allows you to filter by category to find what you need.
I found a new category of recipes that I want to try.

Usage notes

Use 'category' when talking about classification or groups, but avoid in very casual conversations where simpler terms can be used.

Grammar pattern

countable noun

Memory hint

Think of 'cat' in 'category' — imagine different types of cats grouped together.

Collocations

broad
general
large
be included in
belong to
come into
comprise something
consist of something
contain something
in a/the category
within a/the category
category of
be in a category (all) of its/your own
be in its/your own category
be in the same category (as something)

Synonyms

class

Antonyms

individual
single

Common mistakes

Confused with 'class' or 'type', using them interchangeably.
Not using plural form when referring to multiple groups.
Forgetting to differentiate between categories and subcategories.