segment

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noun seg·ment \ˈseg-mənt\

Definition of segment

1 : a portion cut off from a geometric figure by one or more points, lines, or planes: such asa : the area of a circle bounded by a chord and an arc of that circleb : the part of a sphere cut off by a plane or included between two parallel planesc : 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 segmentsb : 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

segmentary

play \-mən-ˌter-ē\ adjective

See segment defined for English-language learners

See segment defined for kids

Examples of segment in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of segment from the Web

This past February, Lauren Duca endured one of the most infuriating moments of her career on a segment with Fox News.

— kaleigh fasanella, Teen Vogue, "Lauren Duca Designs "I Like My Politics Thigh High" Tank for Planned Parenthood," 17 July 2017
The chronically homeless is a segment of the homeless population that is most at risk of dying on the streets.

— mark price, charlotteobserver, "A new way to fight homelessness: Charlotte charity buys entire apartment community," 16 July 2017
Consider Noah’s sit-down with Tomi Lahren, or Hasan Minhaj’s multiple insightful segments on life as a Muslim in Trump’s America.

— laura bradley, HWD, "What Jimmy Fallon's and Seth Meyers's Emmy Snubs Mean for Late Night," 14 July 2017
The tension escalated in the last several weeks when Scarborough and Brzezinski called into question Trump's mental competency in a segment on their show.

— katie mettler, chicagotribune.com, "'Morning Joe' co-host Joe Scarborough is leaving the Republican Party," 11 July 2017
A judge who will hear closing arguments Thursday and ultimately decide Arpaio’s legal fate had previously declined to play the TV excerpts during the testimony segment of the trial.

— Washington Post, "Lawyers to make closing arguments at Arpaio’s criminal trial," 6 July 2017
IMPACT Wrestling original Jeremy Borash hosted the segment.

— jim varsallone, miamiherald, "Orlando Mayor Dyer proclaims Impact Wrestling Day," 6 July 2017
Arora, who injured her leg during the fitness segment of Friday night's preliminaries, appeared onstage on crutches.

— michelle matthews, AL.com, "Skye Bork of District of Columbia named Distinguished Young Woman of America for 2017," 1 July 2017
Wallner and colleagues first located dozens of variations in a segment of DNA along the Y chromosomes of 52 living male horses representing 21 modern breeds.

— michael price, Science | AAAS, "Most modern horses came from just two ancient lineages," 29 June 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of segment

Latin segmentum, from secare to cut — more at saw

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1570

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of segment

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

segment

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verb seg·ment \ˈseg-ˌment\

Definition of segment

transitive verb
: to separate into segments : give off as segments

See segment defined for English-language learners

Examples of segment in a Sentence

Market researchers have segmented the population into different age groups.

Recent Examples of segment from the Web

The house is segmented into four semidetached barns, each shaped with the straightforwardness of a Monopoly house, its crisp corners and sharp silhouette revealing the eye of a modernist.

— joseph giovannini, ELLE Decor, "HOUSE TOUR: Contemporary Decor Blends With Farmhouse Tradition Inside A Hamptons Barn," 2 July 2015

First Known Use of segment

1859

SEGMENT Defined for English Language Learners

segment

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noun

Definition of segment for English Language Learners

: one of the parts into which something can be divided
geometry : 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

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verb

Definition of segment for English Language Learners

: to divide (something) into parts

SEGMENT Defined for Kids

segment

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noun seg·ment \ˈseg-mənt\

Definition of segment for Students

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

Medical Dictionary

segment

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noun seg·ment \ˈseg-mənt\

Medical Definition of segment

: 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