compartment

American  

[kuhm-pahrt-muhnt] / kəmˈpɑrt mənt /

noun

• compartments
  plural

1. a part or space marked or partitioned off.

   Synonyms:

   section, division

2. a separate room, section, etc..

   a baggage compartment.

3. U.S. Railroads. a private bedroom with toilet facilities.

4. a separate aspect, function, or the like.

   the compartments of the human mind.

5. Architecture. a distinct major division of a design.

6. Heraldry. a decorative base, as a grassy mound, on which the supporters of an escutcheon stand or rest.

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verb (used with object)

1. to divide into compartments.

compartment British  

/ kəmˈpɑːtmənt /

noun

1. one of the sections into which an area, esp an enclosed space, is divided or partitioned

2. any separate part or section

   a compartment of the mind

3. a small storage space; locker

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• compartmental
  adjective
• compartmentally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• compartments
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of compartment

1555–65; < Middle French compartiment < Italian compartimento. See compart, -ment

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Explanation

A compartment is a space within another space, like the glove compartment in a car. Compartments are spaces, but they're not spaces that stand on their own. Rather, compartments are part of other spaces: they're subdivisions. The trunk is a compartment of a car. A pocket is a compartment of a suitcase. Closets are like compartments of rooms. One of the most common compartments is a car's glove compartment, where people throw all kinds of things. Anything that is divided into smaller spaces has compartments. The ventricles are like compartments of your heart.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

compartment compartments

Eukaryotes are organisms whose cells contain a nucleus, a specialized compartment that houses most of their genetic material.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026

In an otherwise empty compartment of a regional train on its way to a small town in Germany last month, a friendly passenger asked if I was headed to Halberstadt for “the note change.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

Maritime security firm Vanguard Tech told AFP three explosions rocked the ship on June 6, flooding several areas including the steering gear compartment and pump room.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

Each seat, the company says, has its own overhead luggage compartment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

I forgot my diary in the glove compartment and if the lights hadn't turned red for me, Mum would've driven off to Lorenzo Hussingtree's with it.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

Large sections of the genome are normally organized into relatively distinct active and inactive regions known as compartments.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026

Inside, TV screens replaced the overhead luggage compartments, and a strip of lights lined the carriages’ walls from front to back.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

Ryanair says power banks are not allowed in checked baggage, cannot go in overhead compartments, and must not be used to charge or power other portable electronic devices during taxi, take-off or landing.

From BBC ● May 24, 2026

Take, for example, the viral “snackle box,” which contains multiple compartments to hold everything from your favorite packaged snacks and candies to cut up fruit and vegetables.

From Salon ● May 17, 2026

Gradually, those compartments flooded with water, and the station gained speed on its way to the bottom of the ocean.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown

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Related Words

• alcove
• carriage
• cell
• chamber
• cubicle
• locker
• slot

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