What does 'sorted' mean? My British friend says it all the time.

What it means: Arranged, fixed, dealt with, or under control. "It's sorted" means "it's been taken care of." "Are you sorted?" means "do you have everything you need?" or "is everything OK with you?"

Why it's useful: It's a short, positive, flexible word that can close a conversation, confirm an arrangement, or ask about someone's wellbeing. It does a lot of work.

• "Don't worry, it's all sorted." (It's been dealt with)
• "Are you sorted for the weekend?" (Have you made plans / do you have what you need?)
• "I'll get it sorted." (I'll fix/arrange it)
• "Right, that's sorted then." (Confirmation that something is resolved)

As an adjective about people: "She's well sorted" can mean someone has their life together, is organised, or is generally competent and stable. This use is more informal.

• "It's done" / "It's handled" - more direct
• "It's arranged" - formal version
• "Everything's in order" - formal
• "We're all set" - American English equivalent

Register: Informal British English. Very common in everyday speech. Americans would understand it but use "all set" or "taken care of" instead.

Tags: British English, slang, everyday English, confirmation, informal