component

noun com·po·nent \ kəm-ˈpō-nənt , ˈkäm-ˌpō- , käm-ˈpō- \

|Updated on: 7 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: component in a Sentence

Definition of component

1 : a constituent part : ingredient

an important component of the program

stereo components

2 a : any one of the vector terms added to form a vector sum or resultant

b : a coordinate of a vector; also : either member of an ordered pair of numbers

—

componential

play \ˌkäm-pə-ˈnen(t)-shəl\ adjective

See component defined for English-language learners

See component defined for kids

Examples of component in a Sentence

the components of an electric circuit
He sells spare computer components.
The interview is a key component in the hiring process.
Hard work has been a major component of his success.

Recent Examples of component from the Web

The Houston company Permico Midstream Partners' Texas NGL Project includes a natural gas liquids fractionator that can process around 300,000 barrels of liquids a day and separate them into their component parts, such as ethane, propane and butane.

— rye druzin, Houston Chronicle, "$550 million Texas natural gas project gets tax abatements from Nueces County," 13 July 2018
Fieldwork conducted by Braun columns may be one point more or less than the sum of their component parts due to rounding.

— Fox News, "Fox News Poll 7/12," 12 July 2018
Macher quickly moved from chairman to CEO and, in the next few years, CSP became the supplier of component parts for the Chevrolet Volt, a breakthrough electric car.

— mary ellen klas, miamiherald, "Rick Scott and family made $550M in one transaction. How 'blind' is his blind trust?," 11 July 2018
Performance, after all, is a key component of popularity.

— refinery29.com, "Why Marie Antoinette Is Really Mean Girls, Versailles Edition," 10 July 2018
At the same time, new tariffs on component parts and materials are raising production costs for many U.S. manufacturers.

— erica e. phillips, WSJ, "Logistics Movers: Honeywell Names Former SpaceX, Amazon Executive to Run Supply Chain," 9 July 2018
Feasting is a key component of this kind of sociality and cooperation.

— charles stanish, Smithsonian, "How Feasting Rituals Help Shape Human Civilization," 5 July 2018
That would start with comprehensive disclosures of weapons, component parts and how the North’s specialists went about their development.

— david e. sanger, New York Times, "As Bolton Says North Korea Could Disarm in a Year, Reality Lags Promises," 1 July 2018
The phone number was rapidly unraveled to its component parts, spliced and digested into a series of jokes, images and even puzzles designed to continue sharing the number while dodging Twitter’s censors.

— laura hudson, The Verge, "Was it right to dox Stephen Miller? That’s the wrong question," 27 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'component.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of component

Latin component-, componens, present participle of componere to put together — more at compound

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1645

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

component Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of component

element, component, constituent, ingredient mean one of the parts of a compound or complex whole. element applies to any such part and often connotes irreducible simplicity.

- the basic elements of geometry

component and constituent may designate any of the substances (whether elements or compounds) or the qualities that enter into the makeup of a complex product; component stresses its separate entity or distinguishable character.

- the components of a stereo system

constituent stresses its essential and formative character.

- the constituents of a chemical compound

ingredient applies to any of the substances which when combined form a particular mixture.

- the ingredients of a cocktail

component

adjective

Definition of component

1 : serving or helping to constitute : constituent

component parts

2 of a video signal : split into multiple channels each carrying one particular set of data (such as one channel for black and white and one for color)

component input

— compare ¹composite 4

See component defined for English-language learners

Examples of component in a Sentence

the component parts of a machine

Recent Examples of component from the Web

Once Cerar stepped down as prime minister earlier this year and the squabbling of coalition partners disappeared from the headlines, his image as a decent and component prime minister returned.

— tim haughton, Washington Post, "Slovenia voted on Sunday. Is an anti-immigrant government on the way?," 5 June 2018