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

“The police department are agents of Cornell,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

"It's a level of heterogeneity I've never experienced before," said Jerome Despey, chairman of the wine advisory board at the public agency FranceAgriMer and a winegrower in the southern Herault department.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

“All grants of parole are proposed decisions and become final only after a thorough and comprehensive review by the Board of Parole Hearings and the Governor,” officials with the department said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

The Fire Department already has a budget nearing $1 billion and the tax is expected to generate another $345 million annually to the department that has long said it is woefully underfunded.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

I chewed a granola bar as I walked to school and thought it might not be a bad idea if I dropped back from a 10 to a 5 in the lie department.

From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen

Those agencies include state police, county sheriff and local police departments, state wildlife agencies and even state auditors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

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

From Slate ● Oct. 2, 2026

This “compromised the city’s initial and extended response, and further compromised the region” as other fire departments picked up the slack, the report found.

From Los Angeles Times ● 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

As the news of the repeal was broadcast over the radio, stores like New York’s Gimbels and Bloomingdale’s immediately opened their liquor departments.

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler

Related Words

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