- a group of people or things that are the same in some way; a particular variety or type
- kind of somebody/something three kinds of cakes/cake
- What kind of house do you live in?
- They sell all kinds of things.
- I need to buy paper and pencils, that kind of thing.
- His diet's terrible—burgers, chips, pizzas, that kind of stuff.
- I'm the kind of person who hates to do anything wrong.
- We have the same kind of car.
- that kind of something I'll never have that kind of money (= as much money as that).
- He wouldn't say anything about it. He's not that kind of man.
- this kind of something This kind of exercise is very popular.
- of a kind Exercises of this kind are very popular.
- music of all/various/different kinds
- The school is the first of its kind in Britain.
- Would you like a drink of some kind?
- The regions differ in size, but not in kind.
Grammar Point kind / sortkind / sort- Use the singular (kind/sort) or plural (kinds/sorts) depending on the word you use before them:
- each/one/every kind of animal
- all/many/other sorts of animals.
- Kind/sort of is followed by a singular or uncountable noun:
- This kind of question often appears in the exam.
- That sort of behaviour is not acceptable.
- Kinds/sorts of is followed by a plural or uncountable noun:
- These kinds of questions often appear in the exam.
- These sorts of behaviour are not acceptable.
- Other variations are possible but less common:
- These kinds of question often appear in the exam.
- These sort of things don’t happen in real life.
- Note also that these examples are possible, especially in spoken English:
- The shelf was full of the sort of books I like to read.
- He faced the same kind of problems as his predecessor.
- There are many different sorts of animal on the island.
- What kind of camera is this?
- What kind/kinds of cameras do you sell?
- There were three kinds of cakes/cake on the plate.
Extra Examples- Be sure to eat enough of the right kind of food.
- I missed him, in a funny kind of way.
- I'm a fairly normal kind of guy.
- Prostate cancer is the most common kind of cancer in men.
- You need some kind of cover over it to protect it from the rain.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- different
- same
- similar
- …
- in kind
- of a kind
- of… kind
- …
- a/the kind of thing
- a… kind of way
- nothing of the kind
- …
Word Originnoun Old English cynd(e), gecynd(e), of Germanic origin; related to kin. The original sense was ‘nature, the natural order’, also ‘innate character, form, or condition’ (compare with the adjective kind); hence ‘a class ’or‘ race distinguished by innate characteristics’.
Idioms
See kind in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee kind in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishin kind
- (of a payment) consisting of goods or services, not money
- As well as his salary, he gets benefits in kind.
- (formal) with the same thing
- She insulted him and he responded in kind.
a kind of
- (informal) used to show that something you are saying is not exact
- I had a kind of feeling this might happen.
kind of
/ˈkaɪndə/
/ˈkaɪndə/
(also kinda)
(informal)- slightly; in some ways
- That made me feel kind of stupid.
- I like him, kind of.
nothing of the kind/sort
- used to emphasize that the situation is very different from what has been said
- ‘I was terrible!’ ‘You were nothing of the kind.’
of a kind
- (disapproving) not as good as it could be
- You're making progress of a kind.
- very similar
- They're two of a kind—both workaholics!
one of a kind
- the only one like this synonym unique
- My father was one of a kind—I'll never be like him.
something of the/that kind
- something like what has been said
- ‘He's resigning.’ ‘I'd suspected something of the kind.’
Check pronunciation:
kind