What does this expression mean: 'sort of'?

[Simon]

Can you exlain to me an expression "sort of" in this cases?

They sort of freeze your insides, don't they?
And they sort of have a history of that.
Real early when they sort of came out of the basement and they decided to play some shows.
I mean, there were times when I sort of felt like, you know, a character in some Tom Clancy novel in progress.

Best regards,
Simon

[Mister Micawber]

.
Here, sort of = somewhat, to a certain extent, in a way.
.
_________________
Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mister Micawber