section

American  

[sek-shuhn] / ˈsɛk ʃən /

noun

• sections
  plural

1. a part that is cut off or separated.

2. a distinct part or subdivision of anything, as an object, country, community, class, or the like: the left section of a drawer.

   the members' section of a golf course;

   the left section of a drawer.

3. a distinct part or subdivision of a writing, as of a newspaper, legal code, chapter, etc.: section 2 of the bylaws.

   the financial section of a daily paper;

   section 2 of the bylaws.

4. one of a number of parts that can be fitted together to make a whole.

   sections of a fishing rod.

5. (in most of the United States west of Ohio) one of the 36 numbered subdivisions, each one square mile (2.59 sq. km or 640 acres), of a township.

6. an act or instance of cutting; separation by cutting.

7. Surgery.

   1. the making of an incision.

   2. an incision.

8. a thin slice of a tissue, mineral, or the like, as for microscopic examination.

   Synonyms:

   specimen, slice, segment, part

9. a representation of an object as it would appear if cut by a plane, showing its internal structure.

10. Military.

    1. a small unit consisting of two or more squads.

    2. Also called staff section.  any of the subdivisions of a staff.

    3. a small tactical division in naval and air units.

11. Railroads.

    1. a division of a sleeping car containing both an upper and a lower berth.

    2. a length of trackage, roadbed, signal equipment, etc., maintained by one crew.

12. any of two or more trains, buses, or the like, running on the same route and schedule at the same time, one right behind the other, and considered as one unit, as when a second is necessary to accommodate more passengers than the first can carry.

    On holidays the New York to Boston train runs in three sections.

13. a segment of a naturally segmented fruit, as of an orange or grapefruit.

14. a division of an orchestra or band containing all the instruments of one class: the string section.

    a rhythm section;

    the string section.

15. Bookbinding. signature.

16. Also called section mark.  a mark used to indicate a subdivision of a book, chapter, or the like, or as a mark of reference to a footnote.

17. Theater. one of a series of circuits for controlling certain lights, as footlights.

18. shape.

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verb (used with object)

• sections,
  present (3rd person singular)
• sectioned,
  past participle,  past
• sectioning
  present participle

1. to cut or divide into sections.

2. to cut through so as to present a section.

3. Surgery. to make an incision.

section British  

/ ˈsɛkʃən /

noun

1. a part cut off or separated from the main body of something

2. a part or subdivision of a piece of writing, book, etc

   the sports section of the newspaper

3. one of several component parts

4. a distinct part or subdivision of a country, community, etc

5. an area one mile square (640 acres) in a public survey, esp in the western parts of the US and Canada

6. a plot of land for building on, esp in a suburban area

7. the section of a railway track that is maintained by a single crew or is controlled by a particular signal box

8. the act or process of cutting or separating by cutting

9. a representation of a portion of a building or object exposed when cut by an imaginary vertical plane so as to show its construction and interior

10. geometry

    1. a plane surface formed by cutting through a solid

    2. the shape or area of such a plane surface Compare cross section

11. surgery any procedure involving the cutting or division of an organ, structure, or part, such as a Caesarian section

12. a thin slice of biological tissue, mineral, etc, prepared for examination by a microscope

13. a segment of an orange or other citrus fruit

14. a small military formation, typically comprising two or more squads or aircraft

15. a fare stage on a bus, tram, etc

16. music

    1. an extended division of a composition or movement that forms a coherent part of the structure

       the development section

    2. a division in an orchestra, band, etc, containing instruments belonging to the same class

       the brass section

17. Also called: signature.   gathering.   gather.   quire.  a folded printing sheet or sheets ready for gathering and binding

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verb

1. to cut or divide into sections

2. to cut through so as to reveal a section

3. (in drawing, esp mechanical drawing) to shade so as to indicate sections

4. surgery to cut or divide (an organ, structure, or part)

5. social welfare to have (a mentally disturbed person) confined in a mental hospital under an appropriate section of the mental health legislation

Synonym Usage

See part.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• half-section
  noun
• multisection
  adjective
• unsectioned
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sections
  plural

Participles

• sectioning
  present
• sectioned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• section
  simple
• sections
  simple
• have sectioned
  perfect
• has sectioned
  perfect
• am sectioning
  progressive
• are sectioning
  progressive
• is sectioning
  progressive
• have been sectioning
  perfect progressive
• has been sectioning
  perfect progressive

Past

• sectioned
  simple
• had sectioned
  perfect
• was sectioning
  progressive
• were sectioning
  progressive
• had been sectioning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will section
  simple
• will have sectioned
  perfect
• will be sectioning
  progressive
• will have been sectioning
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of section

First recorded in 1550–60; from Latin sectiōn- (stem of sectiō ) “a cutting,” equivalent to sect(us) (past participle of secāre “to cut”; see saw ¹) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

A section is a part or piece of something that fits together with the other pieces to make a whole. Like the arts section of a newspaper, or the rhythm section of the band that gets reviewed in it. The root of section is the Latin word sect, which means "cut." Think dissect ("cut into pieces"), or bisect ("cut in two"). Insects are called insects because they're made up of sections — the head, the abdomen, and the thorax. It almost looks like they've been carved into three separate parts.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

section sections sectioned sectioning

The initial section between Bakersfield and Merced is expected to cost $36 billion and open in 2033.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Over that period, they closely followed the condition of the glacier's floating ice tongue, recording the expansion of fractures and watching for signs that a major section might eventually break away.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026

“They were not allowed in that section of the facility,” he said, “and eventually we’ll segue them back in.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

“Duvateen” is worth talking about some more because it’s a stellar exemplar of how John Curley firmly commands the rhythm section.

From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026

In the bright, glaring light, her face went pale, the mechanical section bleached almost white.

From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

SpaceX plans to recover both fairing sections after they return to Earth.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026

They appear at first to be the writer’s own story, reflections on the past and life apart from M; the “we” in these sections might be referring to siblings or partners.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

Music publications like Stereogum and Pitchfork have switched to a paid supporter model while fostering their communities of indie music obsessives in robust — and, in Pitchfork’s case, brand new — comment sections.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

"There's definitely a few more bumps, a bit less corners, but generally there are some really good flowing sections."

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

While he undoubtedly thought this description cast a wide and inclusive net that pulled in residents from all the regions or sections of the United States, it did not include all inhabitants.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

By then, Calocane had been sectioned three times.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

The house was purchased for $1 from the developer, sectioned and transported on flatbed trucks to Altadena.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026

If you want frozen garlic — already sectioned and ready-to-use — Trader Joe’s carries the Dorot brand of frozen crushed garlic cubes.

From Salon ● Apr. 19, 2026

A small, makeshift rink sectioned off by barricades was stationed in the corner, and the glam bar was closed down by the second day of the event.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2026

Others were big two-story duplexes, built as boardinghouses for bachelor miners in the booming 1920’s and later sectioned off as individual family dwellings during the Depression.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

The speech is expected to include a draft law which will reportedly aim to improve care for people with learning difficulties, and change rules on sectioning people.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2024

Compared to their previous microscope design with a fixed light sheet, the new system quadrupled the field of view and doubled the optical sectioning ability without compromising volumetric imaging speed.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 20, 2024

“It is also equipped with manipulating arms which could be used to extricate the sub, such as by sectioning cables or things that would be blocking it at the bottom.”

From Washington Times ● Jun. 22, 2023

Johnson began by teaching the kids some basic techniques, like parting and sectioning hair, and by introducing them to the tools of the trade.

From Seattle Times ● May 10, 2023

Ella removed her scarf and a perfect replica of her mother's beautiful brown hands darted straight to her thick hair, sectioning and combing through her zigzag curls.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

Related Words

• area
• branch
• category
• chunk
• department
• district
• field
• part
• passage
• piece
• region
• sector
• segment
• zone