Definition
To go out or leave a place; to exit. It can also mean to take something or someone out.
Example
Elle sort de la maison tous les matins à huit heures.
Show translation
She leaves the house every morning at eight o'clock.
Etymology
From Old French *sortir*, derived from Latin *sortiri* (to draw lots, to allot) via a sense shift toward "going out" in Vulgar Latin. By the medieval period it had fully settled into the meaning of physically exiting a space.
Cultural note
*Sortir* is extremely versatile in everyday French. Beyond simply leaving a place, it covers going out socially (*on sort ce soir ?* — shall we go out tonight?), dating (*ils sortent ensemble* — they're going out together), and releasing a product (*le film sort en août* — the film comes out in August). Don't confuse it with *partir*, which stresses the act of departing on a journey; *sortir* focuses on exiting an enclosed space or context.