partition

1 of 2

noun

par·​ti·​tion pär-ˈti-shən How to pronounce partition (audio)
pər-
1
: the action of parting : the state of being parted : division
the partition of Korea into North and South Korea
2
: something that divides
especially : an interior dividing wall
The bank teller sat behind a glass partition.
3
: one of the parts or sections of a whole
The estate was divided into three partitions.

partition

2 of 2

verb

partitioned; partitioning; partitions

transitive verb

1
a
: to divide into parts or shares
b
: to divide (a place, such as a country) into two or more territorial units having separate political status
2
: to separate or divide by a partition (such as a wall)
often used with off
partitioner noun

Examples of partition in a Sentence

Noun A thin partition separates the two rooms in the cabin. Folding partitions separate the different banquet halls in the building. The bank teller sat behind a glass partition. the partition of former Yugoslavia the partition of Korea into North and South Korea Verb It was necessary to partition the work to be done to make the job easier to accomplish. The room is partitioned into four sections. After the war, the country was partitioned.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
People in Ireland and Northern Ireland point to parallels between what Palestinians face and their own historical experience with colonialism, partition, oppression and violence. Marisa Bellack, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 Not only does removing that election law take an awful lot of prestige, but succession laws such as partition can split your empire among quarrelling children. Barry Collins, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024 The geometric partitions of farmland, the crowns of pure snow on distant mountains, the rebuilt cities studding the vague horizon, all of it evidence of how the nation had seemed to heal itself. Elliot Ackerman, WIRED, 5 Feb. 2024 On the other side of the partition, delighted customers sip lattes and snap selfies with the animals in a scene that is playing out across South Korea. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2024 Her ex quickly shut down her request with his own countersuit (filed in February) that argues a partition of the home should not be granted. Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 28 Feb. 2024 By 1949, about eighty per cent of the Arab population had been removed from the territory claimed by Israel, now larger than what the U.N. partition plan—which was never implemented—had outlined, and hundreds of villages had been erased. Shane Bauer, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024 The rise of Imran Khan Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation of 220 million has, since its inception in 1947, struggled with political and social instability following a traumatic partition that hastily divided British India along religious lines into two independent countries. Sophia Saifi, CNN, 12 Feb. 2024 The door plug is visible from outside the plane but looks like a regular partition and window from the inside. George Petras, USA TODAY, 8 Jan. 2024
Verb
The authors generated state-level rape estimates by partitioning the national data according to state-level information from FBI crime reports, which included rapes that were reported to police in 2019. Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 25 Jan. 2024 Putin’s invasion was not just a wager that Ukraine would fall and that Russia could then control or partition the country. Liana Fix, Foreign Affairs, 12 Sep. 2023 Expansive stretches of farmland dotted with sheep and cattle, deep gorges and steel bridges, views of waterfalls and one of New Zealand’s longest tunnels await travelers on this spectacular ride, which cuts through the mountains that partition New Zealand’s South Island. Shraddha Chowdhury, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Dec. 2023 As discussed earlier, Z/OS can be partitioned into separate logical partitions, each with separate hardware, permissions, workloads, and even different operating systems. Andrew Hudson, Ars Technica, 24 July 2023 Dynamically reconfigurable system partitioning Equivalent separate mainframe units, or logical partitions (LPARs), can be created through the use of I/O controllers, mainframe permissions, and user-configurable CPUs. Andrew Hudson, Ars Technica, 24 July 2023 Before heirs’ property can be partitioned and sold, the law requires courts to provide notice to all heirs and enlist an independent appraiser to determine the property’s true market value. Amelia Winger, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2024 When Poland was partitioned and Danzig fell into German hands, its significance as a port city dwindled. Danuta Hamlin, Fox News, 1 Sep. 2023 Worse, this outcome would roughly parallel one proposed by the former Russian president Dmitri Medvedev, who has called for Ukraine to be partitioned. Advocates of using the German model for Ukraine misread history. M. E. Sarotte, Foreign Affairs, 10 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'partition.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1653, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of partition was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near partition

Cite this Entry

“Partition.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/partition. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

partition

noun
par·​ti·​tion
pər-ˈtish-ən,
pär-
1
2
: an interior dividing wall
3
partition verb
partitioner
-ˈtish-(ə-)nər
noun

Medical Definition

partition

noun
par·​ti·​tion pär-ˈtish-ən How to pronounce partition (audio)
: the distribution of a substance between two immiscible phases in contact at equilibrium and especially between two liquids
partition transitive verb

Legal Definition

partition

noun
par·​ti·​tion pär-ˈti-shən How to pronounce partition (audio)
: the severance voluntarily or by legal proceedings of common or undivided interests in property and especially real property : division into severalty of property held jointly or in common or the sale of such property by a court with division of the proceeds
partition transitive verb

More from Merriam-Webster on partition

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