department

American  

[dih-pahrt-muhnt] / dɪˈpɑrt mənt /

noun

• departments
  plural

1. a distinct part of anything arranged in divisions; a division of a complex whole or organized system.

   Synonyms:

   segment, unit, section, bureau, branch

2. one of the principal branches of a governmental organization.

   the sanitation department.

3. (initial capital letter) one of the principal divisions of the U.S. federal government, headed by a secretary who is a member of the president's cabinet.

4. a division of a business enterprise dealing with a particular area of activity.

   the personnel department.

5. a section of a retail store selling a particular class or kind of goods.

   the sportswear department.

6. one of the sections of a school or college dealing with a particular field of knowledge.

   the English department.

7. one of the large districts into which certain countries, as France, are divided for administrative purposes.

8. a division of official business, duties, or functions.

   judicial departments.

9. a sphere or province of activity, knowledge, or responsibility.

   Paying the bills is not my department.

10. (usually initial capital letter) (formerly) a large geographical division of the U.S. or its possessions as divided for military and defense purposes.

    the Hawaiian Department.

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department British  

/ dɪˈpɑːtmənt /

noun

1. a specialized division of a large concern, such as a business, store, or university

   the geography department

2. a major subdivision or branch of the administration of a government

3. a branch or subdivision of learning

   physics is a department of science

4. a territorial and administrative division in several countries, such as France

5. informal a specialized sphere of knowledge, skill, or activity

   wine-making is my wife's department

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subdepartment
  noun
• departmental
  adjective
• nondepartmental
  adjective
• predepartmental
  adjective
• subdepartmental
  adjective
• departmentally
  adverb
• nondepartmentally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• departments
  plural

Etymology

Origin of department

First recorded in 1730–35; from French département; equivalent to depart + -ment

Explanation

A department is one section or part of a larger group, like a company or a school. The philosophy department of a university is just one of many, including English, math, and sociology. Your local hospital has an emergency department, as well as surgical and mental health departments, or units. A company might have finance departments and hiring departments, and a town government has public works and fire departments. A "department store" is likewise split into sections. In each case, the departments specialize in one certain aspect of the organization. You can also say, "Making cookies is my department," if you're the person in your family who's the baking expert.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

department departments

A State Department spokesperson said the department has officially requested additional information from the Russian government and it is in official communication with other countries around the world to share information.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Herman, a former professor in UCLA’s painting and drawing department and co-founder of the now-defunct Black Dragon Society gallery in Chinatown, lives with the work of his former students and friends crammed throughout his home.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

The department requested the privacy of the soldiers and family's affected by Monday's incident.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

In one assignment to test students' ability to evaluate scientific arguments, Paustian, a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison's bacteriology department, was suspicious that they might simply copy the instructions into a chatbot.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

And I kept asking no matter whose calculations I was evaluating—an engineer’s or the head of the entire department.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

The Journal obtained those figures for 14 individual departments in five states and compared them with per-officer payout amounts and program requirements published by DHS.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

University police departments are police departments, despite critiques of this model.

From Slate ● Oct. 2, 2026

I’ve worked at a big-box store for 14 years, mostly in the gardening and lumber departments.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

Following a series of scandals that shook public trust in local government, Los Angeles City Council launched a massive charter reform to boost accountability across city departments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

This is precisely the reason that many police departments in recent years have banned high-speed chases.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

• administration
• agency
• area
• board
• branch
• bureau
• commission
• division
• office
• staff
• station
• unit