What does "department" mean?
A part, portion, or subdivision.
Department
/dɪˈpɑːtm(ə)nt/ noun
noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A part, portion, or subdivision.
- Grammar: department is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: section, ability to cause change, academic department, academic unit.
- Useful contrasts: entire shop, entirety, faculty.
- Usage evidence: Please go to the Surgery Department.
How to use "department"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "department" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "department" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "department" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "department" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "department" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "section" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "department", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A part, portion, or subdivision.
- 2 a specialized sphere of knowledge wordnet
- 3 A distinct course of life, action, study, or the like.
"Technical things are not his department; he's a people person."
- 4 a specialized division of a large organization wordnet
- 5 A specified aspect or quality.
"The 2012 Boston Marathon was outstanding in the temperature department; runners endured temperatures of no less than 88 degrees Fahrenheit."
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 the territorial and administrative division of some countries (such as France) wordnet
- 7 A subdivision of an organization.; One of the principal divisions of executive government
"the Treasury Department; the Department of Agriculture; police department"
- 8 A subdivision of an organization.; One of the divisions of instructions
"the physics department; the history department; the math department"
- 9 A territorial division; a district; especially, in France, one of the districts into which the country is divided for governmental purposes, similar to a county in the UK and in the USA. France is composed of 101 départements organized in 18 régions, each department is divided into arrondissements, in turn divided into cantons.
"The departments were the bricks from which the edifice of the nation was to be constructed."
- 10 A military subdivision of a country historical
"the Department of the Potomac"
- 11 Act of departing; departure. obsolete
"For though Contraria iuxta ſe poſita magis illuceſcunt [opposites placed next to each other shine more brightly] (by an olde Rule) yet it hath beene ſubtilly, and indeede truely noted that our Sight, is not vvell contented, vvith thoſe ſudden departments, from one extreame to another; Therefore let them haue, rather a Duskiſh Tincture, then an abſolute blacke."
Synonyms
All synonyms sectionability to cause changeacademic departmentacademic unitadministrative officeadministrative unit
Antonyms
Example
"Please go to the Surgery Department."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "department"?
Common synonyms include: section, ability to cause change, academic department, academic unit, administrative office, administrative unit.
How do you use "department" in a sentence?
Please go to the Surgery Department.
How do you pronounce "department"?
Pronounced /dɪˈpɑːtm(ə)nt/.
Etymology
From Middle English departement (“ceasing, end”), from Middle French département. Later senses borrowed from Modern French département. Doublet of département.