segment

American  

[seg-muhnt, seg-ment, seg-ment] / ˈsɛg mənt, ˈsɛg mɛnt, sɛgˈmɛnt /

noun

1. one of the parts into which something naturally separates or is divided; a division, portion, or section.

   a segment of an orange.

2. Geometry.

   1. a part cut off from a figure, especially a circular or spherical one, by a line or plane, as a part of a circular area contained by an arc and its chord or by two parallel lines or planes.

   2. Also called line segment.  a finite section of a line.

3. Zoology.

   1. any of the rings that compose the body of an annelid or arthropod.

   2. any of the discrete parts of the body of an animal, especially of an arthropod.

4. an object, as a machine part, having the form of a segment or sector of a circle.

5. Computers.

   1. a portion of a program, often one that can be loaded and executed independently of other portions.

   2. a unit of data in a database.

6. an arclike support on which the typebars of a typewriter rest when not in use.

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verb (used with or without object)

segments, present (3rd person singular) segmented, past participle, past segmenting present participle

1. to separate or divide into segments.

segment British  

/ ˈsɛɡməntərɪ, -trɪ /

noun

1. maths

   1. a part of a line or curve between two points

   2. a part of a plane or solid figure cut off by an intersecting line, plane, or planes, esp one between a chord and an arc of a circle

2. one of several parts or sections into which an object is divided; portion

3. zoology any of the parts into which the body or appendages of an annelid or arthropod are divided

4. linguistics a speech sound considered in isolation

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verb

1. to cut or divide (a whole object) into segments

segment Scientific  

/ sĕg′mənt /

1. The portion of a line between any two of its points.

2. The region bounded by an arc of a circle and the chord that connects the endpoints of the arc.

3. The portion of a sphere included between a pair of parallel planes that intersect it or are tangent to it.

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Synonym Usage

See part.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• multisegment
  adjective
• unsegmented
  adjective
• nonsegmentary
  adjective
• nonsegmented
  adjective
• intersegment
  noun
• unsegmentary
  adjective
• multisegmented
  adjective
• segmentary
  adjective
• segmentate
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have segmented
  perfect
• has segmented
  perfect 3rd person singular
• is segmenting
  progressive 3rd person singular
• am segmenting
  progressive 1st person singular
• are segmenting
  progressive
• segmenting
  participle
• has been segmenting
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• have been segmenting
  perfect progressive
• segments
  singular 3rd person

Past

• had segmented
  perfect
• were segmenting
  progressive plural
• segmented
  simple
• was segmenting
  progressive singular
• segmented
  participle
• had been segmenting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will segment
  simple
• will have segmented
  perfect
• will have been segmenting
  perfect progressive
• will be segmenting
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of segment

First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin segmentum, equivalent to sec(āre) “to cut” + -mentum -ment

Explanation

A segment is one of several pieces that together create a whole. You could offer a segment of your orange to your girlfriend as a Valentine's Day gift. She’ll probably enjoy the orange, but she may break up with you. Lots of things can have segments. You can talk about a segment of a talk show, a segment of a sphere, or the segment of students in your high school who want to join the Drama Club — the ones singing and dancing in the cafeteria every day. You can also use segment as a verb: when you chop down that oak tree in your front yard, you have to segment the trunk into smaller pieces for firewood.

Example Sentences

Morningstar sees a 43% chance of a bear case where SpaceX’s AI segment fails to take off.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 6, 2026

The sales update on the business segment, CooperSurgical, accompanied Cooper’s second-quarter financial results, posted after Thursday’s market close.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

The lender’s overseas segment net-interest margin is likely to see fewer headwinds, as DBS doesn’t expect the Fed to cut rates in 2026 with the current inflation environment.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

Steve Capus, a veteran network producer who worked with Pelley at the “CBS Evening News,” said his former colleague was built for the meticulous work that goes into every “60 Minutes” segment.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026

Mrs. Walton uses a tape recorder to record my responses when we practice the interview segment.

From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles

Related Words

• division
• piece
• portion
• section
• sector
• slice