portion

[pawr-shuhn, pohr-]

noun

1. a part of any whole, either separated from or integrated with it.

   I read a portion of the manuscript.

   Synonyms: segment, section
   Antonyms: whole

2. an amount of food served for one person; serving; helping.

   He took a large portion of spinach.

   Synonyms: ration

3. the part of a whole allotted to or belonging to a person or group; share.

   Synonyms: dividend, lot, quota, allotment

4. the part of an estate that goes to an heir or a next of kin.

   Synonyms: inheritance

5. Literary.,  something that is allotted to a person by God or fate.

   Synonyms: doom, destiny, lot, fortune

6. (especially formerly) the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings to her husband at marriage; dowry.

verb (used with object)

1. to divide into or distribute in portions or shares (often followed byout ).

   Synonyms: apportion, allot

2. to furnish with a portion, as with an inheritance or a dowry.

   All of his children have been amply portioned.

   Synonyms: endow

3. to provide with a lot or fate.

   She was portioned with sorrow throughout her life.

portion

/ ˈpɔːʃən /

noun

1. a part of a whole; fraction

2. a part allotted or belonging to a person or group

3. an amount of food served to one person; helping

4. law

   1. a share of property, esp one coming to a child from the estate of his parents

   2. the property given by a woman to her husband at marriage; dowry

5. a person's lot or destiny

verb

1. to divide up; share out

2. to give a share to (a person); assign or allocate

3. law to give a dowry or portion to (a person); endow

Other Word Forms

• portionable adjective
• portionless adjective
• reportion verb (used with object)
• unportionable adjective
• unportioned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of portion¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English porcion, from Old French, from Latin portiōn- (stem of portiō ) “share, part,” akin to pars part

Word History and Origins

Origin of portion¹

C13: via Old French from Latin portiō portion, allocation; related to pars _part

Synonym Study

See part.

Example Sentences

"Direct shipments to the US now make up just 10 percent of China's total exports and a sizeable portion of these US-bound goods could be diverted to other countries," wrote Huang.

Read more on Barron's

Significant portions of Hamas’s tunnel networks have been destroyed, its leadership has been decimated, and its ability to launch attacks has been severely degraded.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Most candidates for the medium-security prisons committed white-collar crimes, face short sentences or have served a large portion of a longer one and are considered a low flight risk.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In the latter portions of the book, though, paraphrased conversations raise real questions—especially his conversations with Scalia, whom he recalls as a great friend, which is no doubt true.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Subprime loans generally make up a relatively small portion of the auto-loan portfolios at banks, captive finance organizations and credit unions.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• allocation 
• chunk 
• excerpt 
• fraction 
• fragment 
• lot 
• part 
• piece 
• quantity 
• section 
• segment 
• serving