assortment

Everyday

A mixture of different kinds of things. tree →

In the lessons

Used for sweets, shapes, tools and people. In maths problems, an assortment of coloured beads may come before a probability question. Phrases: «an assortment of», «a wide assortment».

Examples

• She brought an assortment of biscuits. tree →
• The box held an assortment of crayons. tree →
• There was an odd assortment of people at the bus stop. tree →
• The shop sells an assortment of hats. tree →
• Pick one sweet from the assortment. tree →
• An assortment of shells lay on the beach. tree →
• There was a large assortment of rags, the fine ones in one heap, and the coarse ones in another, as they should be. tree →

Note

Countable; «an assortment of» + plural noun. Similar: mixture, variety, selection.