unit

noun

\ ˈyü-nət

Definition of unit

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : the first and least natural number : one

b : a single quantity regarded as a whole in calculation

2 : a determinate quantity (as of length, time, heat, or value) adopted as a standard of measurement: such as

a : an amount of work used in education in calculating student credits

b : an amount of a biologically active agent (such as a drug or antigen) required to produce a specific result — compare international unit

3a : a single thing, person, or group that is a constituent of a whole

b : a part of a military establishment that has a prescribed organization (as of personnel and materiel)

c : a piece or complex of apparatus serving to perform one particular function

d : a part of a school course focusing on a central theme

e : a local congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses

f : a small molecule especially when combined in a larger molecule repeating units of a polymer

g : an area in a medical facility and especially a hospital that is specially staffed and equipped to provide a particular type of care an intensive care unit

unit

adjective

Definition of unit (Entry 2 of 2)

: being, relating to, or measuring one unit

Examples of unit in a Sentence

Noun

The family is the basic unit of society. The search party broke up into smaller units. Their army unit guarded the border. Feet and meters are units of length. The dollar is the principal unit of American currency.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Other Housing Authority properties provide up to 20% of their units at market rents. — Tom Daykin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Planned downtown high-rise mixing high-rent apartments with affordable units wins city zoning endorsement," 2 July 2019 Medics took the child to Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, while the four adults who were burned were taken to the UC San Diego Medical Center burn unit, Beveridge said. — Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, "9 injured in fiery multi-vehicle National City crash," 1 July 2019 The event raises big bucks to benefit CPMC, this year its pediatric intensive-care unit and the innovative research of department chairman Dr. Lorry Frankel. — Catherine Bigelow, SFChronicle.com, "55th San Francisco Debutante Ball a swirl of society for 28 young women," 1 July 2019 Grubhub and its Seamless unit have purchased web domains that use the names, or something close to the names, of thousands of eateries, effectively blocking the restaurants themselves from using those web domains. — Kate Gibson, CBS News, "Is Grubhub fattening its coffers by buying up restaurant website names?," 1 July 2019 The building would wrap around two courtyard areas and a four-story parking garage at the center, which would enable tenants to park on the same floor as their unit. — Karen Berkowitz, chicagotribune.com, "Proposal for 500 housing units on Solo Cup property raises traffic concerns," 30 June 2019 Constellation, which imports the Corona and Modelo brands from Mexico, posted a more than 7% jump in beer sales and nearly 12% increase in operating profits from its beer unit compared to a year ago. — Paul R. La Monica, CNN, "Americans still love Mexican beers Corona and Modelo," 28 June 2019 Air units were dispatched, but were not needed due to the aggressive attacks by crews on the ground, McDade said. — Rocky Baier, azcentral, "Several brush fires in Phoenix area destroy a home, threaten a neighborhood," 18 June 2019 Fire and hazmat units were dispatched at 1:50 p.m. to the 1200 block of Crossman Avenue, said Capt. — Jason Green, The Mercury News, "Google building in Sunnyvale evacuated because of suspicious package," 18 June 2019

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

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Last Updated

7 Jul 2019

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The first known use of unit was in 1570

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More Definitions for unit

unit

noun

English Language Learners Definition of unit

: a single thing, person, or group that is a part of something larger

: a part of a hospital where a particular type of care is provided

: a particular amount of length, time, money, etc., that is used as a standard for counting or measuring

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

unit

noun

\ ˈyü-nət

Kids Definition of unit

1 : a single thing, person, or group forming part of a whole There are 36 units in my apartment building.

2 : the least whole number : one

3 : a fixed quantity (as of length, time, or value) used as a standard of measurement An inch is a unit of length.

4 : a part of a school course with a central theme

unit

noun

\ ˈyü-nət

Medical Definition of unit

1 : an amount of a biologically active agent (as a drug or antigen) required to produce a specific result under strictly controlled conditions a unit of penicillin — see international unit

2 : a small molecule especially when combined in a larger molecule repeating units of a polymer

3 : an area in a medical facility and especially a hospital that is specially staffed and equipped to provide a particular type of care an intensive care unit