segment

noun

seg·ment | \ ˈseg-mənt

Definition of segment

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a portion cut off from a geometric figure by one or more points, lines, or planes: such as

a : the area of a circle bounded by a chord and an arc of that circle

b : the part of a sphere cut off by a plane or included between two parallel planes

c : the finite part of a line between two points in the line

2a : a separate piece of something : bit, fragment chop the stalks into short segments

b : one of the constituent parts into which a body, entity, or quantity is divided or marked off by or as if by natural boundaries all segments of the population agree

segment

verb

seg·ment | \ ˈseg-ˌment

segmented; segmenting; segments

Definition of segment (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to separate into segments : give off as segments

Other Words from segment Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about segment

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Choose the Right Synonym for segment

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

Examples of segment in a Sentence

Noun

The railroad track is divided into segments. I think I lost one segment of this model kit.

Verb

Market researchers have segmented the population into different age groups.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Jenna jokingly ended the segment thanking Savannah for giving her many bras over the years. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "See 'Today' Star Jenna Bush Hager Blurt Out the Most CRINGE-Y Secret About Savannah Guthrie," 15 May 2019 The two met on the set of Saturday Night Live, which Stone hosted in December 2016 (McCary is a segment producer for the show). — Nicole Briese, Allure, "Emma Stone Sparks Massive Engagement Rumors Due to Ring Finger Accessory," 7 Apr. 2019 The segment opened with an introduction to the Smiths' role in Jordyn's life (the video is embedded below). — Rachel Epstein, Marie Claire, "What Jordyn Woods' Red Table Talk Interview Revealed About the Cheating Drama," 1 Mar. 2019 Spokespeople for the companies declined to comment on the report but acknowledged their interest in that segment of the cannabis market. — Gillian Flaccus, The Seattle Times, "Coca-Cannabis? Coke analyzing cannabis in wellness drinks," 17 Sep. 2018 Robertson was honored during that segment of the show with the NBA Lifetime Achievement Award - an award Russell won last year. — Dave Clark, Cincinnati.com, "Bill Russell flips bird as Charles Barkley introduces Oscar Robertson at NBA Awards," 25 June 2018 The question is, what is the real size of that segment of the automotive market? — Ed Wallace, star-telegram, "Promises, Promises," 22 June 2018 Quick-service restaurants are doing better than most other categories, but that segment still only saw a 1 percent increase in visits in 2017, according to The NPD Group. — Lizzy Alfs, USA TODAY, "Hardee's, Carl's Jr. chains part ways in fast-food image shakeup," 19 June 2018 So far this year, about 12 percent of all respondents fall into that surly segment. — NBC News, "'Throw the bums out' coalition changes shape in 2018," 17 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The front seats are segmented and offset by bright gold seatbelts. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "The 2019 Volvo S60 is Swedish style at a surprisingly good price," 16 Oct. 2018 The reality is consumers don’t bifurcate or segment their world like that. — Leigh Kamping-carder, WSJ, "Casper Co-Founder Predicts the Death of (Bad) Retail," 21 Nov. 2018 This shift comes with other organizational changes that mostly involve segmenting Verizon’s respective businesses from one another, including new consumer and business-focused groups. — Ashley Carman, The Verge, "Oath will soon be rebranded as Verizon Media Group," 5 Nov. 2018 This footage is then segmented, meaning each frame is broken into different categories: sky, cars, trees, road, buildings, and so on. — James Vincent, The Verge, "Nvidia has created the first video game demo using AI-generated graphics," 3 Dec. 2018 The social scientist Richard Florida of the University of Toronto insightfully segments the U.S. into three categories of people: the mobile, the rooted and the stuck. — Ben Sasse, WSJ, "Politics Can’t Solve Our Political Problems," 12 Oct. 2018 Then, a segmenting software cut the image into pieces and threw the pieces containing rocks, boulders, and so on into a series of classifiers. — Jacek Krywko, Ars Technica, "To make Curiosity (et al) more curious, NASA and ESA smarten up AI in space," 16 July 2018 The closet is segmented into two racks—suits and bondage. — Vogue, "Christine and the Queens Releases a New Video for “5 Dollars,” and the Vibe Is “American Gigolo With a Twist”," 16 Aug. 2018 As the new season of Orange Is the New Black highlights, long gone are the alliances that once segmented many of the Litchfield inmates as the mistreatment of the women has reached an all-time high. — Candice Frederick, Teen Vogue, ""Orange is the New Black" Season 6 Has the Women Striving for Peace and Community More Than Ever," 27 July 2018

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

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Dictionary Entries near segment

Statistics for segment

Last Updated

19 May 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for segment

The first known use of segment was in 1570

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More Definitions for segment

segment

noun

English Language Learners Definition of segment

(Entry 1 of 2)

: one of the parts into which something can be divided

: a part of a circle formed by drawing a straight line between two points on the circle

: a part of a straight line between two points

segment

verb

English Language Learners Definition of segment (Entry 2 of 2)

: to divide (something) into parts

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

segment

noun

seg·ment | \ ˈseg-mənt

Kids Definition of segment

1 : any of the parts into which a thing is divided or naturally separates

2 : a part cut off from a figure (as a circle) by means of a line or plane

3 : a part of a straight line included between two points

segment

noun

seg·ment | \ ˈseg-mənt

Medical Definition of segment

(Entry 1 of 2)

: one of the constituent parts into which a body, entity, or quantity is divided or marked off by or as if by natural boundaries bronchopulmonary segments the affected segment of the colon was resected