part

noun

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\ ˈpärt

plural parts

Definition of part

(Entry 1 of 5)

1a(1) : one of the often indefinite or unequal subdivisions into which something is or is regarded as divided and which together constitute the whole … the road was passable only part of the year …— Samuel Johnson

(2) : an essential portion or integral element Change is an inevitable part of life.

b : one of several or many equal units of which something is composed or into which it is divisible : an amount equal to another amount mix one part of the powder with three parts of water

c(1) : an exact divisor of a quantity : aliquot

(2) : partial fraction

d : one of the constituent elements of a plant or animal body: such as

(1) : organ, member The stomach is part of the digestive system.

(2) parts plural : private parts

e : a division of a literary work a novel in four parts

f(1) : a vocal or instrumental line or melody in concerted music or in harmony

(2) : a particular voice or instrument in concerted music also : the score for it the violin part

g : a constituent member of a machine or other apparatus the parts of an airplane also : a spare part automobile parts

2 : something falling to one in a division or apportionment : share wanted no part of the proposal

3 : one's share or allotted task (as in an action) : duty one must do one's part

4 : one of the opposing sides in a conflict or dispute he that is not against us is on our part — Mark 9:40 (King James Version)

5 : a general area of indefinite boundaries —usually used in plural you're not from around these partstook off for parts unknown

6 : a function or course of action performed objected to the government's part in the strike — see also take part

7a : an actor's lines in a play, movie, etc. The actress learned her part well.

b : the role of a character in a play, movie, etc. played the part of the villain

8 : a constituent of character or capacity : talent a man of many parts

9 : the line where the hair is parted His part was on the left side of his head.

for one's part

: as far as one's share or interest is concerned for my part, I do not see that the difference is important— Mary McCarthy

for the most part

: in general : on the whole for the most part the crowd was orderly

in part

: in some degree : partially

on one's part or on the part of one

: with regard to the one specified

part

verb

parted; parting; parts

Definition of part (Entry 2 of 5)

intransitive verb

1a : to separate from or take leave of someone

b : to take leave of one another

2 : to become separated into parts

3a : to go away : depart

b : die

4 : to become separated, detached, or broken

5 : to relinquish possession or control hated to part with that money

transitive verb

1a : to divide into parts

b : to separate by combing on each side of a line

c : to break or suffer the breaking of (something, such as a rope or anchor chain)

2 : to divide into shares and distribute : apportion

3a : to remove from contact or association if aught but death part thee and me — Ruth 1:17 (King James Version)

b : to keep separate the narrow channel that parts England from France

c : to hold (people, such as brawlers) apart

d : to separate by a process of extraction, elimination, or secretion

4a archaic : leave, quit

b dialectal British : relinquish, give up

part company

1 : to end a relationship or association

2 : to diverge from another (as in opinion) —often used with with

part

adverb

Definition of part (Entry 3 of 5)

: partly

part

adjective

Definition of part (Entry 4 of 5)

: partial sense 1

part

abbreviation

Definition of part (Entry 5 of 5)

1 participial; participle

2 particular

Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about part

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Synonyms & Antonyms for part

Synonyms: Noun

Synonyms: Verb

Synonyms: Adverb

Antonyms: Verb

converge,
join

Antonyms: Adverb

Choose the Right Synonym for part

Noun

part, portion, piece, member, division, section, segment, fragment mean something less than the whole. part is a general term appropriate when indefiniteness is required. they ran only part of the way portion implies an assigned or allotted part. cut the pie into six portions piece applies to a separate or detached part of a whole. a puzzle with 500 pieces member suggests one of the functional units composing a body. a structural member division applies to a large or diversified part. the manufacturing division of the company section applies to a relatively small or uniform part. the entertainment section of the newspaper segment applies to a part separated or marked out by or as if by natural lines of cleavage. the retired segment of the population fragment applies to a part produced by or as if by breaking off. only a fragment of the play still exists

Verb

separate, part, divide, sever, sunder, divorce mean to become or cause to become disunited or disjointed. separate may imply any of several causes such as dispersion, removal of one from others, or presence of an intervening thing. separated her personal life from her career part implies the separating of things or persons in close union or association. vowed never to part divide implies separating into pieces or sections by cutting or breaking. civil war divided the nation sever implies violence especially in the removal of a part or member. a severed limb sunder suggests violent rending or wrenching apart. a city sundered by racial conflict divorce implies separating two things that commonly interact and belong together. cannot divorce scientific research from moral responsibility

Examples of part in a Sentence

Noun The entire book is good, but the best part is the ending. I don't remember him saying that. I must have missed that part. The mechanic had to order the part from the manufacturer. The parts of a radio include the speaker, dials, and antenna. Do you have any spare parts for this model of car? the moving parts of the machine parts of the human body My favorite part of the chicken is the drumstick. a diagram labeling the different parts of the flower Come join us and be part of a winning team. Verb The crowd parted to let the president through. The rain stopped and the clouds parted. The big red curtains parted to reveal a new car! The Bible tells the story of how God parted the Red Sea. She closed her eyes and parted her lips. She parts her hair on the side. His dark hair was parted down the middle. The two lovers parted at dawn. Tomorrow we shall part and, I fear, never see each other again. She couldn't bear the thought of parting from her family. Adverb The story is part science and part fiction. The Chimera is a monster in Greek mythology that is part lion, part goat, and part serpent. Adjective The claim is a part truth—there is more to the story than they are telling you.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun As part of the project Ainsworth and Reynolds, were able to find a bill of sale from 1842. — CBS News, "Project identifying enslaved Texans gets "emotional" for one family," 5 May 2021 The town of Noto in Ishikawa Prefecture was awarded 800 million yen ($7.31 million) in grants from the central government as part of an aid program aimed at boosting local economies amid the pandemic, according to domestic media. — NBC News, "Town in Japan builds giant squid with Covid relief funds," 5 May 2021 Since then, insurgents have targeted French nationals as part of an anti-government campaign. — Washington Post, "French journalist kidnapped by radical Islamists in Mali appears in video pleading for his life," 5 May 2021 DeMarcus Cousins had nine of his 11 points in the second, hitting a 3-pointer and getting a steal and dunk as part of an 8-0 spurt. — Beth Harris, ajc, "Clippers rout Lakers 118-94, move into No. 3 spot in West," 7 May 2021 Earlier this year, Ozuna was among the first artists to get involved in the NFT game by selling digital art as part of a new platform called ArtGrails. — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, "Ozuna Unleashes Video for New Song ‘Tiempo’," 6 May 2021 There are 18 members of Congress who identify as part of the AAPI community, making up about 3% of the seats. — Nicole Chavez And Priya Krishnakumar, CNN, "We speak about Asian Americans as a single block. Here's how incredibly complex they are," 6 May 2021 Some 20,000 tulip bulbs are planted nationwide as part of YTP’s Hope Gardens every October during Mental Health Awareness Week. — Jackie Abramian, Forbes, "Smashing Mental Health Stigma One Yellow Tulip At A Time," 6 May 2021 In the 1980s, Governor Mike Dukakis awarded Parcel 18 to a group of minority investors as part of the development of the One Lincoln tower downtown. — BostonGlobe.com, "Northeastern’s plan for a 25-story dorm on the edge of Roxbury poses a test for Janey," 6 May 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Investors have cheered Dell’s move to part with VMware, with the stock roughly tripling from its pandemic low in March of last year. — Miriam Gottfried, WSJ, "Dell Reaches Deal to Sell Boomi to TPG, Francisco Partners," 3 May 2021 But there are still places where Britain and the United States could part company. — Mark Landler, New York Times, "Johnson Pins U.K. Future on U.S. Ties, as European Bonds Loosen," 16 Mar. 2021 For the Rangers to part with Odor would mean writing off more than $27 million in remaining financial commitment. — Evan Grant, Dallas News, "Is Rougned Odor running out of time? An important roster decision looms for the Rangers as spring training winds down," 28 Mar. 2021 But there have been no indications this week that the Kings are looking to part with Barnes, who has two years remaining on his contract. — BostonGlobe.com, "Desperate for a win, Celtics come out flat again in loss to Kings, and other observations," 19 Mar. 2021 There appeared to be genuine hope that the Celtics could acquire Aaron Gordon from the Magic without having to part with Marcus Smart. — BostonGlobe.com, "The Celtics’ trade-deadline moves might be helpful down the stretch, even if they aren’t satisfying," 29 Mar. 2021 Green-card-seekers can expect to part ways with seventeen hundred and sixty dollars in application fees. — Ronald Metellus, The New Yorker, "Biden’s Eightfold Path to Citizenship," 26 Mar. 2021 Reports indicate the Seahawks will part ways with Reed. — oregonlive, "Seattle Seahawks re-sign one DL (Carlos Dunlap); likely to lose another (Jarran Reed)," 26 Mar. 2021 Accommodating Dalton's salary also essentially forced Pace to part with his best cornerback, Kyle Fuller, who was effectively replaced by fading Desmond Trufant. — Nate Davis, USA TODAY, "2021 NFL free agency: A week after market opens, Patriots QB Cam Newton makes list of winners and losers," 24 Mar. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb François Girard’s take — part mysterious, part mystifying — on Wagner’s last opera is one of the Met’s most interesting productions of the last decade or so, and returns for the first time since its premiere in 2013. — David Allen, New York Times, "Classical Music in NYC This Week," 1 Feb. 2018 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective All the while working part-time at the bowling alley running most of the tournament, while working a normal 9-5 job Monday through Friday. — Kyle Neddenriep, The Indianapolis Star, "We asked you to nominate Sports Moms of the Year. Read about these amazing women.," 8 May 2021 The buyers had come to understand the sellers lived part-time in the Caribbean and thought an offer of a free stay at their rental property there might be appealing. — Anna Bahney, CNN, "Desperate buyers are going to extremes to land a home," 6 May 2021 Clawson’s mayor is a part-time position that is paid $35 per meeting, with the annual amount capped at about $900 per year, Scripture told the Free Press. — Bill Laitner, Detroit Free Press, "Clawson mayor unexpectedly resigns during dramatic city council meeting," 5 May 2021 Retirement may mean leaving your career job but picking up part-time work. — Steve Parrish, Forbes, "A Second Look: Four Retirement Rules Of Thumb," 5 May 2021 The film ends pre-pandemic with Danigelis working part-time at a hotel in New York. — Ralphie Aversa, USA TODAY, "A 75-year-old mom lost her job after 50 years with no retirement fund. Here's what her son did.," 5 May 2021 That process has raised CCSI’s costs, bringing the frustrations of the same chip shortage that has idled auto factories around the world to a tiny town where the other main employers are a granary, a couple of bars and a part-time post office. — Jeanne Whalen, Anchorage Daily News, "How the global chip shortage might affect people who just want to wash their dogs," 3 May 2021 What struck me about the story is that part-time work among women is more common elsewhere in the world. — Claire Zillman, Fortune, "The empowering decision to work part-time," 3 May 2021 After a ceremony at a county building, the teens piled into a yellow school bus and Mr. McCord, a part-time bus driver, followed three hearses, each donated from a different funeral home, to the cemetery. — New York Times, "To Solve 3 Cold Cases, This Small County Got a DNA Crash Course," 3 May 2021

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

First Known Use of part

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for part

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French & Old English, both from Latin part-, pars; perhaps akin to Latin parare to prepare — more at pare

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French partir, from Latin partire to divide, from part-, pars

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Last Updated

8 May 2021

Cite this Entry

“Part.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/part. Accessed 14 May. 2021.

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More Definitions for part

part

noun

English Language Learners Definition of part

(Entry 1 of 3)

: one of the pieces, sections, qualities, etc., that make or form something

: one of the pieces that are put together to form a machine

: one of the pieces or areas of the body of a plant or animal

part

adverb

English Language Learners Definition of part (Entry 2 of 3)

: somewhat but not completely : to some extent or in some degree

part

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of part (Entry 3 of 3)

: not complete or total

See the full definition for part in the English Language Learners Dictionary

part

noun

\ ˈpärt

Kids Definition of part

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : one of the sections into which something is divided This is the best part of the movie. That wasn't part of our agreement.

2 : some of something My dog is part husky. I spent part of my day reading.

3 : a general area She moved to another part of the state.

4 : a piece of a machine

5 : one of the sides or aspects The best part of camp is making new friends.

6 : the role of a character in a play

7 : a line along which the hair is divided

8 : a person's share or duty I did my part for the team.

9 : the music for a voice or instrument the soprano part

10 : a voice or instrument four-part harmony

11 : a piece of a plant or animal body

for the most part

: with few exceptions : on the whole They were, for the most part, very pleased.

part

verb

parted; parting

Kids Definition of part (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : to leave each other They parted at the intersection.

2 : to separate the hair by combing on each side of a line

3 : to give up possession of She won't part with her money.

4 : to hold apart He parted the curtains.

5 : to come apart The crowd parted to let us through.

6 : to divide into parts

part.

abbreviation

Kids Definition of part.

participle

Choose the Right Synonym for part

Noun

part, portion, and section mean something less than the whole to which it belongs. part is used when something is taken away from the whole or thought of as being separate from the rest. A part of the room is used for storage. portion is used when a whole has been divided into assigned parts. Cut the pie into six portions. section is used if the parts of the whole are recognizable and have been separated by or as if by cutting. This newspaper has four sections.

part

noun

\ ˈpärt

Medical Definition of part

1 : one of several or many like units into which something is divided or of which it is composed : a proportional division or ingredient mix the powder with three parts of water

2 : a portion of an animal body: as

a : an essential anatomical element : organ, member the chief parts of the digestive system are the esophagus, stomach, intestine, and associated glands

b : an indefinite area or one lacking or not considered in respect to a natural boundary bathe the affected part with warm water