diff --git a/tools/qfcc/include/defspace.h b/tools/qfcc/include/defspace.h
index 1152bf5a5..c48bd6552 100644
--- a/tools/qfcc/include/defspace.h
+++ b/tools/qfcc/include/defspace.h
@@ -222,6 +222,8 @@ int defspace_alloc_aligned_highwater (defspace_t *space, int size,
 */
 void defspace_reset (defspace_t *space);
 
+void defspace_sort_defs (defspace_t *space);
+
 ///@}
 
 #endif//__defspace_h
diff --git a/tools/qfcc/source/defspace.c b/tools/qfcc/source/defspace.c
index 97333dae6..356c481a4 100644
--- a/tools/qfcc/source/defspace.c
+++ b/tools/qfcc/source/defspace.c
@@ -317,3 +317,33 @@ defspace_reset (defspace_t *space)
 		memset (space->data, 0, space->max_size * sizeof (pr_type_t));
 	}
 }
+
+void
+defspace_sort_defs (defspace_t *space)
+{
+	int         num_defs = 0;
+	for (auto d = space->defs; d; d = d->next) {
+		num_defs++;
+	}
+	if (!num_defs) {
+		return;
+	}
+	def_t      *defs[num_defs];
+	num_defs = 0;
+	for (auto d = space->defs; d; d = d->next) {
+		defs[num_defs++] = d;
+	}
+	for (int i = 1; i < num_defs; i++) {
+		auto d = defs[i];
+		for (int j = i; j-- > 0 && d->offset < defs[j]->offset; ) {
+			defs[j + 1] = defs[j];
+			defs[j] = d;
+		}
+	}
+	space->def_tail = &space->defs;
+	for (int i = 0; i < num_defs; i++) {
+		*space->def_tail = defs[i];
+		space->def_tail = &defs[i]->next;
+	}
+	*space->def_tail = 0;
+}
diff --git a/tools/qfcc/source/function.c b/tools/qfcc/source/function.c
index 57de54a16..5f0e00cff 100644
--- a/tools/qfcc/source/function.c
+++ b/tools/qfcc/source/function.c
@@ -790,6 +790,8 @@ build_code_function (symbol_t *fsym, expr_t *state_expr, expr_t *statements)
 		}
 	}
 	emit_function (func, statements);
+	defspace_sort_defs (func->parameters->space);
+	defspace_sort_defs (func->locals->space);
 	if (options.code.progsversion < PROG_VERSION) {
 		// stitch parameter and locals data together with parameters coming
 		// first
diff --git a/tools/qfcc/source/linker.c b/tools/qfcc/source/linker.c
index 8d04f4ef5..405c826b3 100644
--- a/tools/qfcc/source/linker.c
+++ b/tools/qfcc/source/linker.c
@@ -502,7 +502,7 @@ add_defs (qfo_t *qfo, qfo_mspace_t *space, qfo_mspace_t *dest_space,
 		odef->file = linker_add_string (QFOSTR (qfo, idef->file));
 		idef->file = -1;					// mark def as copied
 		idef->line = num_work_defrefs;		// so def can be found
-		// In the first passs, process_type_def sets the type meta to -1 and
+		// In the first pass, process_type_def sets the type meta to -1 and
 		// class to the offset of the copied type, but the null type encodiing
 		// is not modified. Other defs are processed in the second pass.
 		type = QFOTYPE(idef->type);
@@ -1293,6 +1293,19 @@ check_defs (void)
 	free (undef_defs);
 }
 
+static void
+sort_defs (qfo_mspace_t *space)
+{
+	qfo_def_t  *defs = space->defs;
+	for (pr_uint_t i = 1; i < space->num_defs; i++) {
+		qfo_def_t   d = defs[i];
+		for (pr_uint_t j = i; j-- > 0 && d.offset < defs[j].offset; ) {
+			defs[j + 1] = defs[j];
+			defs[j] = d;
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 static qfo_t *
 build_qfo (void)
 {
@@ -1305,6 +1318,9 @@ build_qfo (void)
 	qfo = qfo_new ();
 	qfo->spaces = calloc (work->num_spaces, sizeof (qfo_mspace_t));
 	qfo->num_spaces = work->num_spaces;
+	for (i = qfo_near_data_space; i <= qfo_entity_space; i++) {
+		sort_defs (&qfo->spaces[i]);
+	}
 	for (i = 0; i < work->num_spaces; i++) {
 		qfo->spaces[i].type = work->spaces[i].type;
 		qfo->spaces[i].id = work->spaces[i].id;
diff --git a/tools/qfcc/source/obj_file.c b/tools/qfcc/source/obj_file.c
index 20db53372..01486c751 100644
--- a/tools/qfcc/source/obj_file.c
+++ b/tools/qfcc/source/obj_file.c
@@ -326,6 +326,10 @@ qfo_from_progs (pr_info_t *pr)
 	qfo_reloc_t *reloc;
 	reloc_t    *r;
 
+	defspace_sort_defs (pr->near_data);
+	defspace_sort_defs (pr->far_data);
+	defspace_sort_defs (pr->entity_data);
+
 	qfo = calloc (1, sizeof (qfo_t));
 	qfo->num_spaces = qfo_num_spaces; // certain spaces are always present
 	qfo_count_stuff (qfo, pr);
diff --git a/tools/qfcc/source/stub.c b/tools/qfcc/source/stub.c
index 97cc063c2..b5ba751c3 100644
--- a/tools/qfcc/source/stub.c
+++ b/tools/qfcc/source/stub.c
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ __attribute__((const)) symbol_t *new_symbol_type (const char *name, type_t *type
 __attribute__((const)) def_t *qfo_encode_type (type_t *type, defspace_t *space) {return 0;}
 __attribute__((const)) int obj_types_assignable (const type_t *dst, const type_t *src) {return 0;}
 void print_protocollist (struct dstring_s *dstr, protocollist_t *protocollist) {}
+void defspace_sort_defs (defspace_t *space) {}
 int is_id (const type_t *type){return type->type;}
 int is_SEL (const type_t *type){return 0;}
 int is_Class (const type_t *type){return 0;}