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.

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• compartmental
  adjective
• compartmentally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• compartments
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of compartment

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

---

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

Cells with greater compartment mingling tended to have lower overall levels of gene activity.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026

In January 2025 an Air Busan plane was destroyed on the tarmac in Gimhae Airport in South Korea, with investigators concluding a power bank battery pack left in an overhead luggage compartment was the culprit.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 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

When the taxi had had no passengers, Fadi had helped his father memorize the stack of maps kept in the car’s glove compartment.

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

Designed to resemble a high-end fashion boutique, the space features floor-to-ceiling glass-front cabinetry, custom storage compartments, and elegant lighting.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

The chancellor's aides are using intelligence-style security measures to guard its secrets: the Budget has been split into "compartments" with very few given access to all of them.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

"Surprisingly, we discovered this collapse happens at every level of genome organization -- compartments, domains, and chromatin loops."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 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

They even pressed their faces against the windows of their compartments to get a look at him.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

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

---