sector

1 of 2

noun

sec·​tor ˈsek-tər 

-ˌtȯr

1

a

: a geometric figure bounded by two radii and the included arc of a circle

b(1)

: a subdivision of a defensive military position

(2)

: a portion of a military front or area of operation

c

: an area or portion resembling a sector

… bilingual sector of town.

—David Kleinberg

d

: a sociological, economic, or political subdivision of society

… cooperation between the public and private sectors …

—Eduardo Trigo

2

: a mathematical instrument consisting of two rulers connected at one end by a joint and marked with several scales

3

: a subdivision of a track on a computer disk

sectoral

ˈsek-t(ə-)rəl

adjective

sector

2 of 2

verb

sec·​tor ˈsek-tər 

sectored; sectoring ˈsek-t(ə-)riŋ 

transitive verb

: to divide into or furnish with sectors

Examples of sector in a Sentence

Noun

He was assigned to the northern sector.

Data is stored on the disk in 512-byte sectors.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Court records show that in early 2022, Arbuckle managed a team of more than 20 and helped forecast loan demand across major sectors of the bank, including corporate, commercial, wealth management and small-business banking. — Chase Jordan july 30, Charlotte Observer, 30 July 2026

The public sector’s service mission allows officials to consider AI as a tool to optimize services, Justie said, while companies with a profit focus might choose a different path. — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 30 July 2026

Verb

KeyBanc downgrades Salesforce to sector weight from overweight KeyBanc its survey checks appear negative for the company. — Michael Bloom, CNBC, 9 July 2026

In my view, investors should be cautious of investing in individual stocks or even sector specific index funds and ETFs. — Peter Cohan, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Late Latin, from Latin, cutter, from secare to cut — more at saw

First Known Use

Noun

1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1884, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing sector

• private sector
• public sector
• sub-sector

Rhymes for sector

• hector
• lector
• nectar
• rector
• specter
• spectre
• vector
• bisector
• collector
• connector
• corrector
• defector

Kids Definition

sector

noun

sec·​tor

ˈsek-tər, 

-ˌtȯ(ə)r

1

a

: the part of a circle included between two radii

b

: an area assigned to a military commander to defend

2

: a part of society

the public sector

the industrial sector