Sorting is any process of arranging items according to a certain sequence or into different sets.

Sorting is any process of arranging items according to a certain sequence or into different sets, and therefore, it has two common, yet distinct meanings:

  • ordering: arranging items of the same kind, class or nature, in some ordered sequence,
  • categorizing: grouping and labeling items with similar properties together (by sorts).

More information can be found at the Wikipedia article on the subject.