portion

[ pawr-shuhn, pohr- ]

noun

1. a part of any whole, either separated from or integrated with it:

   I read a portion of the manuscript.

   Synonyms: segment, section

   Antonyms: whole

2. an amount of food served for one person; serving; helping:

   He took a large portion of spinach.

   Synonyms: ration

3. the part of a whole allotted to or belonging to a person or group; share.

   Synonyms: dividend, lot, quota, allotment

4. the part of an estate that goes to an heir or a next of kin.

   Synonyms: inheritance

5. Literary. something that is allotted to a person by God or fate.

   Synonyms: doom, destiny, lot, fortune

6. (especially formerly) the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings to her husband at marriage; dowry.

verb (used with object)

1. to divide into or distribute in portions or shares (often followed by out ).

   Synonyms: apportion, allot

2. to furnish with a portion, as with an inheritance or a dowry:

   All of his children have been amply portioned.

   Synonyms: endow

3. to provide with a lot or fate:

   She was portioned with sorrow throughout her life.

portion

/ ˈpɔːʃən /

noun

1. a part of a whole; fraction
2. a part allotted or belonging to a person or group
3. an amount of food served to one person; helping
4. law
   1. a share of property, esp one coming to a child from the estate of his parents
   2. the property given by a woman to her husband at marriage; dowry
5. a person's lot or destiny

verb

1. to divide up; share out
2. to give a share to (a person); assign or allocate
3. law to give a dowry or portion to (a person); endow

Derived Forms

• ˈportionless, adjective

Other Words From

• portion·a·ble adjective
• portion·less adjective
• re·portion verb (used with object)
• un·portion·a·ble adjective
• un·portioned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of portion¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English porcion, from Old French, from Latin portiōn- (stem of portiō ) “share, part,” akin to pars part

Word History and Origins

Origin of portion¹

C13: via Old French from Latin portiō portion, allocation; related to pars part

Synonym Study

See part.

Example Sentences

Counting encores, NBC estimated that over 44 million people had watched some portion of the production by the end of the month.

From The Daily Beast

In the financing portion, the numbers are particularly bleak.

From The Daily Beast

And its military destroyed a large portion of Syria's chemical weapons stockpile.

From The Daily Beast

In 2000, the Israeli government simply closed the portion of downtown Hebron under its control.

From The Daily Beast

But they can win back a portion of it, and in many states and congressional districts, a portion will be enough to change things.

From The Daily Beast

On the upper part of the stem the whorls are very close together, but they are more widely separated at the lower portion.

From Project Gutenberg

In the old world, poverty seemed, and poverty was, the natural and inevitable lot of the greater portion of mankind.

From Project Gutenberg

There are many more good dwellings on this plain than in the rural portion of Lower Italy.

From Project Gutenberg

Turn not away thy face from thy neighbour, and of taking away a portion and not restoring.

From Project Gutenberg

First of all, wrap a portion of damp newspaper round the roots, and then tie up with dry paper.

From Project Gutenberg