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

The researchers describe this pattern as "increased compartment mingling."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026

The plan is to resume firefighting efforts, first from the cargo hold of the ferry, which is the compartment where containers and or goods are stored, Cayabyab said.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

In Tesla's Model 3, for example, passengers must reach into a compartment inside the door pocket and find a release cable to manually open the rear door, according to the company's website.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

Each seat has its own overhead luggage compartment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

I help put our bags in the overhead compartment.

From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya

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

From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026

But that is why it is essential that devices are kept in the cabin, not in overhead compartments, and definitely not in the hold.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 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

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

Finally, he crammed them into their compartments, so that they seem to press urgently out toward us.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson

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Related Words

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

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