stratify

verb
strat·​i·​fy | \ ˈstra-tə-ˌfī How to pronounce stratify (audio) \
stratified; stratifying

Definition of stratify

transitive verb

1 : to form, deposit, or arrange in strata
2a : to divide or arrange into classes, castes, or social strata
b : to divide into a series of graded statuses

intransitive verb

: to become arranged in strata

Examples of stratify in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Race was used to categorize different groups of people based on skin color, and to stratify the different groups into distinct class structures. Kelley Fanto Deetz, The Conversation, "Setting the historical record straight for the critics of The New York Times project on slavery in America," 23 Aug. 2019 As Frank sees it, the EDC world is the convergence of many smaller crowds, such as flashlight or firearms enthusiasts, which are themselves stratified into different use cases. Steven T. Wright, Vox, "Meet the men obsessed with carrying all the right stuff," 24 July 2019 Three groups, stratified among the four front-runners, six in the next tier, and 10 basement dwellers. Todd J. Gillman, Dallas News, "No Texas rematch for Castro and O'Rourke in second Dem debate, but Biden gets another shot at Harris," 18 July 2019 Validated biomarkers for stratifying patients early and tracking disease progression — rather than simply confirming target engagement or proof of mechanism — don’t yet exist. Amar Dhand, STAT, "It’s time to find new targets for brain diseases instead of just pursuing old ones," 26 June 2019 Given the inherent unfairness of stratifying the candidates — elevating some over others before any had uttered a word — Democrats decided to stage their debates differently. Anchorage Daily News, "How to squeeze all those Democrats on the debate stage," 26 June 2019 Though the Bay Area prides itself on diversity, spaces can be stratified, economically and ethnically. Vanessa Hua, SFChronicle.com, "The curious power of a day at the races," 7 June 2019 The seeds stratify over the winter, which encourages them to germinate next spring. Anna Groves, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "They're beautiful — and in danger. Now, a huge effort focuses on saving monarch butterflies," 13 July 2018 San Antonio is rapidly growing but its demographics are stratified in a number of ways. Krista Torralva, San Antonio Express-News, "UTSA program paves way for health professionals from medically underserved communities," 15 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stratify.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of stratify

1661, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

History and Etymology for stratify

New Latin stratificare, from stratum + Latin -ificare -ify

Keep scrolling for more