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
David Kleinberg
d
: a sociological, economic, or political subdivision of society
cooperation between the public and private sectors—Peter Chapman
Peter Chapman2
: 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
adjective
ˈsek-t(ə-)rəl
sectored; sectoring
ˈsek-t(ə-)riŋ 
: 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
Roomy Khan, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
Industrials, these analysts point out, are the No. 1 sector in the S & P 500 this year, a favorable signal on the strength of the U.S. economy.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 20 June 2025
Fred Imbert, CNBC, 27 Apr. 2025
Analyst Brandon Nispel upgraded Apple to sector weight from underweight and kept his $170 price target on the stock, after lowering it just last week.
—Pia Singh, CNBC, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sector
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
The talent pool is also limited, particularly in specialized sectors where deep expertise is non-negotiable.
—Roomy Khan, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
Industrials, these analysts point out, are the No. 1 sector in the S & P 500 this year, a favorable signal on the strength of the U.S. economy.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 20 June 2025
Verb
What to watch: KeyBanc downgraded Microsoft to sector weight from overweight earlier in April ahead of the report, highlighting a few risks such as flattening cloud demand and a tricky AI landscape.
—Fred Imbert, CNBC, 27 Apr. 2025
Analyst Brandon Nispel upgraded Apple to sector weight from underweight and kept his $170 price target on the stock, after lowering it just last week.
—Pia Singh, CNBC, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sector
Cite this Entry
“Sector.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sector. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share