portion
Americannoun
-
portions
plural
-
a part of any whole, either separated from or integrated with it.
I read a portion of the manuscript.
- Antonyms:
- whole
-
an amount of food served for one person; serving; helping.
He took a large portion of spinach.
- Synonyms:
- ration
-
the part of a whole allotted to or belonging to a person or group; share.
-
the part of an estate that goes to an heir or a next of kin.
- Synonyms:
- inheritance
-
Literary. something that is allotted to a person by God or fate.
-
(especially formerly) the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings to her husband at marriage; dowry.
verb (used with object)
-
portions,
present (3rd person singular)
-
portioned,
past participle, past
-
portioning
present participle
-
to divide into or distribute in portions or shares (often followed byout ).
-
to furnish with a portion, as with an inheritance or a dowry.
All of his children have been amply portioned.
- Synonyms:
- endow
-
to provide with a lot or fate.
She was portioned with sorrow throughout her life.
noun
-
a part of a whole; fraction
-
a part allotted or belonging to a person or group
-
an amount of food served to one person; helping
-
law
-
a share of property, esp one coming to a child from the estate of his parents
-
the property given by a woman to her husband at marriage; dowry
-
-
a person's lot or destiny
verb
-
to divide up; share out
-
to give a share to (a person); assign or allocate
-
law to give a dowry or portion to (a person); endow
Synonym Usage
See part.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
reportionverb (used with object)
-
portionableadjective
-
portionlessadjective
-
unportionableadjective
-
unportionedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
portionsimple
-
portionssimple
-
have portionedperfect
-
has portionedperfect
-
am portioningprogressive
-
are portioningprogressive
-
is portioningprogressive
-
have been portioningperfect progressive
-
has been portioningperfect progressive
Past
-
portionedsimple
-
had portionedperfect
-
was portioningprogressive
-
were portioningprogressive
-
had been portioningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of portion
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English porcion, from Old French, from Latin portiōn- (stem of portiō ) “share, part,” akin to pars part
Explanation
If a friend asks you to invest in her new start-up in exchange for a portion, or part, of the company’s profits, consider the agreement carefully. Remember, a portion of zero is still zero. Portion can also refer to the amount of food provided for each person at a meal. If you’re reviewing a restaurant, for example, you'll want to take note of the portion size. In addition, portion can be used as a verb meaning “divide and distribute something.” At birthday parties, we find it odd that the person celebrating her birthday is expected to perform the annoying task of portioning her own cake (perhaps it’s so she can claim the biggest portion).
Vocabulary lists containing portion
The ACT: The Language of the Test, List 1
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Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" (1863)
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
She "is facing mobility issues and has lost a significant portion of her ability to walk", it said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
The South Korean auto-component supplier remains sensitive to the won’s appreciation against the dollar because a substantial portion of its aftermarket parts is sourced in Korea and exported globally, the analyst writes in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
An injured climber crawled down a portion of Mt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
Methane typically remains in the atmosphere for about 10 years before chemical reactions remove it, while a portion of carbon dioxide can influence the climate for far longer.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026
The next step in realizing Pops’s dream is renovating the motel portion of the OldMill, but like Nate said, there’s no rush on that.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
The imperative to close all or portions of campuses potentially competes with the concurrent high priority of providing students with safe, up-to-date, fully resourced and inviting education environments.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
They include providing bread everyday, without spread, and offering two portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
“Maybe because I associate it with oversized portions, mediocre food and an entire afternoon disappearing.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
On my most recent visit with Morgan, I could have eaten several portions of an end-of-summer stone fruit and tomato salad served over creamy ricotta.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
Then the doctors did the delicate work of removing portions of the damaged nerve and reconnecting it.
From "Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World" by Malala Yousafzai
Howrey’s own politics are here — feminist, environmentalist, activist — but believably portioned out to her characters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
Meal-kit companies typically sell recipes and ready-to-cook portioned ingredients that are sent to customers’ residences, pitching easy, healthy, home-cooked meals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
It is an elegant, visually appealing appetizer, luncheon option or at my house, a main for dinner, if portioned properly.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2024
Fights with spouses or partners if meals aren’t portioned equally, or panic that a family member might eat the last of a favorite food — even though they’re able to go get more.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 26, 2024
In no time at all they’d gathered back at the same spot, where Ben set out the ink, portioned into several small bowls.
From "Orphan Island" by Laurel Snyder
The precise portioning of the secret ingredients, matching the ratios of the founder’s original formula, happens in a room locked off from employees.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026
Police discovered the defendant had previously been employed as a "skilled butcher", and her work involved "deboning, and portioning out turkey carcasses using a large knife".
From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2026
China said it would be conducting live-fire drills on Tuesday, portioning out seven zones for the operations in the waters around Taiwan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 29, 2025
If meat needs cubing, shredding or portioning, now is the moment.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2025
And its commanders must be judiciously appointed; for it is said— 'Ever absent, harsh, unjustly portioning the captured prey— These, and cold or laggard leaders make a host to melt away.'
From Hindu literature : Comprising The Book of good counsels, Nala and Damayanti, The Ramayana, and Sakoontala by Sir Edwin Arnold
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
