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:
The portion of the world’s websites that could be vulnerable to one of the most severe online bugs ever.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
The catch: the insurer could periodically lower the portion of market gains she received.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
PSA said it was taking measures to prevent the stolen cards from circulating through the usual venues and marketplaces while also reimbursing card owners for at least a portion of their losses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
By the time the team arrived at the site a good portion of the debris had fragmented and washed away, leaving only a single Y-shaped segment, the university said.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
He contentedly munched the small portion of feed I gave him each day before turning him out to forage.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
As part of that settlement, Meta agreed to make significant changes to Facebook and Instagram accounts used by teenagers, and portions of the settlement hinge on other major social media companies agreeing to similar changes.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
Horvath, who represents large portions of the Westside and Valley, plans to discuss her endorsement during an appearance with Raman on Tuesday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
The usage of drones is increasing as farmers see them as ways to handle problems with accessing certain portions of their fields.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
She added that the portions given by the community kitchen - usually pasta or lentils with occasional potatoes and aubergines - were already too small to feed her family.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
At least Gay did not spice my portions and stopped wincing when I dumped steak sauce over every meat.
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
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
These chewy, rich mini brownies are perfectly portioned for late-night cravings and the individual packaging makes them easy to stash in your bag — or next to your bed.
From Salon ● Apr. 18, 2025
Not too salty, not too sweet, each bento box is carefully portioned by food group to meet federal nutrition standards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 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
Mom portioned grilled chicken wings with barbecue sauce, corn bread, and steamed broccoli onto three plates, and set them out on the table.
From "George" by Alex Gino
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
“We know that portioning is a core equity of ours in the organization,” Boatwright said Tuesday.
From Salon ● Nov. 8, 2024
"You've got a big piece of chalk this morning, haven't you?" grumbled the adjutant to the adjutant of our companion Brigade, complaining that they were portioning off more rooms than they were entitled to.
From Pushed and the Return Push by George Herbert Fosdike Nichols
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