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

Generac is the leader in the sector so far this year, up around 28%. —Jason Gewirtz, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026

The message from the energy sector is clear. —Vaishali Nigam Sinha, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026

Verb

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

Meta, Netflix, and Disney have not contributed that much to sector performance lately either. —Frank Cappelleri, CNBC, 17 Dec. 2025

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