section 1 of 2

1
as in district
an area (as of a city) set apart for some purpose or having some special feature several abandoned warehouses in the city's industrial section are being converted into art galleries and artists' lofts

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in portion
one of the pieces from which something is designed to be assembled had trouble fitting the sections of the bookcase together

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

section

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word section distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of section are division, fragment, member, part, piece, portion, and segment. While all these words mean "something less than the whole," section applies to a relatively small or uniform part.

the entertainment section of the newspaper

In what contexts can division take the place of section?

Although the words division and section have much in common, division applies to a large or diversified part.

the manufacturing division of the company

When is it sensible to use fragment instead of section?

The words fragment and section are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, fragment applies to a part produced by or as if by breaking off.

only a fragment of the play still exists

When is member a more appropriate choice than section?

While in some cases nearly identical to section, member suggests one of the functional units composing a body.

a structural member

When can part be used instead of section?

The synonyms part and section are sometimes interchangeable, but part is a general term appropriate when indefiniteness is required.

they ran only part of the way

When would piece be a good substitute for section?

The words piece and section can be used in similar contexts, but piece applies to a separate or detached part of a whole.

a puzzle with 500 pieces

When could portion be used to replace section?

While the synonyms portion and section are close in meaning, portion implies an assigned or allotted part.

cut the pie into six portions

When might segment be a better fit than section?

In some situations, the words segment and section are roughly equivalent. However, segment applies to a part separated or marked out by or as if by natural lines of cleavage.

the retired segment of the population

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of section
Noun
Three sections of the roof at Seabrook Brothers & Sons caved in around 1:30 p.m., NJ.com reported. Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 26 June 2025 And the local Christian radio station, for some reason, set up an interview section in the lobby afterwards and asked people about the concert. Chris Willman, Variety, 14 June 2025
Verb
McKnight used his Modern Hairspray on Ronan, sectioning the hair before spraying. Morgan Fargo, Vogue, 17 Feb. 2025 With over 250 games including various slot types, table games and live dealer titles sectioned under easy-to-find categories. Matthew Gover, Miami Herald, 6 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for section
Recent Examples of Synonyms for section
Noun
  • But the district’s workers also face financial pressures.
    Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2025
  • Plans also have called for re relocating the district’s headquarters from New Haven to Hartford.
    Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 23 June 2025
Noun
  • The Highlands Community Charter Schools’ student population in Sacramento serves a large portion Afghan refugees who do not speak English.
    Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 25 June 2025
  • Other at-risk areas included portions of San Bernardino, Inyo and Cleveland national forests as well as BLM land in the Mojave Desert, such as Coyote Dry Lake Bed outside of Joshua Tree National Park.
    Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2025
Verb
  • Part two is almost contradictory to part one’s idea.
    Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 20 June 2025
  • Lily-Rose Depp Lily-Rose Depp added a touch of attitude to her overall look at the 97th annual Oscars, parting her hair on the right side of her face.
    Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 18 June 2025
Noun
  • The five-part series will offer a kind of historical and musical tour of the five boroughs as LL Cool J visits the neighborhoods and meets with the MCs and producers who were instrumental to hip-hop’s rise.
    Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 27 June 2025
  • Why did Rhode Island propose the tax act? High-end properties that are not an owner's primary residence can have an affect on their neighborhoods, city and state at large, the budget bill states.
    Greta Cross, USA Today, 27 June 2025
Noun
  • San Diego oversees about 200 segments of flood channels, including those along Chollas Creek that overflowed, according to a 2023 report.
    Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 June 2025
  • Campbell noted a recent Today show segment where The White Lotus’s Leslie Bibb was serving as guest co-host alongside Jenna Bush Hager.
    Joe Reid, Vulture, 21 June 2025
Verb
  • Venice is made up of 118 islands separated by canals and connected by more than 400 bridges.
    Shayla Martin, Architectural Digest, 16 June 2025
  • The arrests resemble kidnappings because people are abruptly separated from accompanying family members and attorneys and disappear into elevators.
    Pedro Rios, Mercury News, 16 June 2025
Noun
  • All but one evacuation zone had been lifted by 9 p.m. but the roughly 250 people remained in an mandatory evacuation area, according to El Dorado County officials.
    Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 18 June 2025
  • Their departure suggests movement into strategic positions across the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, or Gulf of Oman—all key zones within CENTCOM area of responsibility, analysts said.
    Amira El-Fekki‎ John Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 June 2025
Verb
  • If your cloud infrastructure is fragmented, your teams are disjointed or your workflows are patchwork-based, AI will only amplify the dysfunction that exists.
    Hrushikesh Deshmukh, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
  • The canons dismantled during the Theory incursion of the 1970s and ’80s introduced a more inclusive world of letters, even as the upheaval left English departments fragmented.
    Eric Bulson, The Atlantic, 16 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Section.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/section. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

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