part

[ pahrt ]
See synonyms for part on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a portion or division of a whole that is separate or distinct; piece, fragment, fraction, or section; constituent: the rear part of the house;to glue the two parts together.

  2. an essential or integral attribute or quality: a sense of humor is part of a healthy personality.

  1. a section or division of a literary work.

  2. a portion, member, or organ of an animal body.

  3. any of a number of more or less equal quantities that compose a whole or into which a whole is divided: Use two parts sugar to one part cocoa.

  4. an allotted portion; share.

  5. Usually parts.

    • a region, quarter, or district: a journey to foreign parts.

    • a quality or attribute establishing the possessor as a person of importance or superior worth: Being both a diplomat and a successful businesswoman, she is widely regarded as a woman of parts.

  6. either of the opposing sides in a contest, question, agreement, etc.

  7. the dividing line formed in separating the hair of the head and combing it in different directions.

  8. a constituent piece of a machine or tool either included at the time of manufacture or set in place as a replacement for the original piece.

  9. Music.

    • the written or printed matter extracted from the score that a single performer or section uses in the performance of concerted music: a horn part.

    • a section or division of a composition: the allegro part of the first movement.

  10. participation, interest, or concern in something; role: The neighbors must have had some part in planning the surprise party.

  11. a person's share in or contribution to some action; duty, function, or office: You must do your part if we're to finish by tonight.

  12. a character or role acted in a play or sustained in real life.

verb (used with object)
  1. to divide (a thing) into parts; sever; break; cleave.

  2. to comb (the hair) away from a dividing line.

  1. to divide into shares; distribute in parts; apportion.

  2. to put or keep apart; separate: They parted the calves from the herd.

  3. Metallurgy.

    • to separate (silver) from gold in refining.

    • to cut (one part) away from a piece, as an end from a billet.

    • to keep the surface of (a casting) separate from the sand of the mold.

  4. Obsolete. to leave.

verb (used without object)
  1. to be or become divided into parts; break or cleave: The oil tanker parted amidships.

  2. to go or come apart; separate, as two or more things.

  1. to go apart from or leave one another, as persons: We'll part no more.

  2. to be or become separated from something else (usually followed by from).

  3. Nautical. to break or become torn apart, as a cable.

  4. to depart.

  5. to die.

adjective
  1. of a part; partial: part owner.

adverb
  1. in part; partly: part autobiographical.

Verb Phrases
  1. part with, to give up (property, control, etc.); relinquish: to part with one's money.

Idioms about part

  1. for one's part, as far as concerns one: For my part, you can do whatever you please.

  2. for the most part, with respect to the greatest part; on the whole; generally; usually; mostly: They are good students, for the most part.

  1. in good part,

    • without offense; in a good-natured manner; amiably: She was able to take teasing in good part.

    • to a great extent; largely: His success is in good part ascribable to dogged determination.

  2. in part, in some measure or degree; to some extent; partly; partially: The crop failure was due in part to unusual weather conditions.

  3. on the part of, : Also on one's part.

    • so far as pertains to or concerns one: He expressed appreciation on the part of himself and his colleagues.

    • as done or manifested by: attention on the part of the audience.

  4. part and parcel, an essential, necessary, or integral part: Her love for her child was part and parcel of her life.

  5. part company,

    • to bid farewell or go separate ways; leave one another.

    • to dissolve a personal affiliation, relationship, etc., especially because of irreconcilable differences.

    • to disagree.

  6. take part, to participate; share or partake: They refused to take part in any of the activities of the community.

  7. take someone's part, to align oneself with; side with; champion; back: His parents took his part, even though he was obviously in the wrong.

Origin of part

1
First recorded before 1000; (noun) Middle English (from Old French, from Latin ), Old English, from Latin part- (stem of pars ) “piece, portion”; (verb) Middle English parten, from Old French partir, from Latin partīre, derivative of pars

synonym study For part

1. Part, piece, portion, segment, section, fraction, fragment refer to something that is less than the whole. Part is the general word: part of a house. A piece suggests a part which is itself a complete unit or it may mean an irregular fragment: a piece of pie; a piece of a broken vase. A portion is a part allotted or assigned to a person, purpose, etc.: a portion of food. A segment is often a part into which something separates naturally: a segment of an orange. Section suggests a relatively substantial, clearly separate part that fits closely with other parts to form a whole: a section of a fishing rod, a book. Fraction suggests a less substantial but still clearly delimited part, often separate from other parts: a fraction of his former income. Fragment suggests a broken, inconsequential, incomplete part, with irregular or imprecise outlines or boundaries: a fragment of broken pottery, of information.

Other words for part

Opposites for part

Other words from part

  • mul·ti·part, adjective
  • subpart, noun

Words Nearby part

Other definitions for part. (2 of 2)

part.

abbreviation
  1. participial.

  2. participle.

  1. particular.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use part in a sentence

  • On the upper part of the stem the whorls are very close together, but they are more widely separated at the lower portion.

    How to Know the Ferns | S. Leonard Bastin
  • The countries about the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea and its adjoining waters.

    Gulliver's Travels | Jonathan Swift
  • To see a part of my scheme, from which I had hoped so much, go wrong before my eyes is maddening!

  • Thanks to Berthier's admirable system, Bonaparte was kept in touch with every part of his command.

    Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-Pattison
  • Nothing but an extreme love of truth could have hindered me from concealing this part of my story.

    Gulliver's Travels | Jonathan Swift

British Dictionary definitions for part (1 of 2)

part

/ (pɑːt) /


noun
  1. a piece or portion of a whole

  2. an integral constituent of something: dancing is part of what we teach

    • an amount less than the whole; bit: they only recovered part of the money

    • (as modifier): an old car in part exchange for a new one

  1. one of several equal or nearly equal divisions: mix two parts flour to one part water

    • an actor's role in a play

    • the speech and actions which make up such a role

    • a written copy of these

  2. a person's proper role or duty: everyone must do his part

  3. (often plural) region; area: you're well known in these parts

  4. anatomy any portion of a larger structure

  5. a component that can be replaced in a machine, engine, etc: spare parts

  6. US, Canadian and Australian the line of scalp showing when sections of hair are combed in opposite directions: British equivalent: parting

  7. music

    • one of a number of separate melodic lines making up the texture of music

    • one of such melodic lines, which is assigned to one or more instrumentalists or singers: the viola part; the soprano solo part

    • such a line performed from a separately written or printed copy: See part song

  8. for the most part generally

  9. for one's part as far as one is concerned

  10. in part to some degree; partly

  11. of many parts having many different abilities

  12. on the part of on behalf of

  13. part and parcel an essential ingredient

  14. play a part

    • to pretend to be what one is not

    • (foll by in) to have something to do (with); be instrumental (in): to play a part in the king's downfall

  15. take in good part to respond to (teasing) with good humour

  16. take part in to participate in

  17. take someone's part to support someone in an argument

verb
  1. to divide or separate from one another; take or come apart: to part the curtains; the seams parted when I washed the dress

  2. to go away or cause to go away from one another; stop or cause to stop seeing each other: the couple parted amicably

  1. (intr foll by from) to leave; say goodbye (to)

  2. (intr foll by with) to relinquish, esp reluctantly: I couldn't part with my teddy bear

  3. (tr foll by from) to cause to relinquish, esp reluctantly: he's not easily parted from his cash

  4. (intr) to split; separate: the path parts here

  5. (tr) to arrange (the hair) in such a way that a line of scalp is left showing

  6. (intr) a euphemism for die 1 (def. 1)

  7. (intr) archaic to depart

  8. part company

    • to end a friendship or association, esp as a result of a quarrel; separate: they were in partnership, but parted company last year

    • (foll by with) to leave; go away from; be separated from

adverb
  1. to some extent; partly

Origin of part

1
C13: via Old French from Latin partīre to divide, from pars a part

British Dictionary definitions for part. (2 of 2)

part.

abbreviation for
  1. participle

  2. particular

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with part

part

In addition to the idioms beginning with part

  • part and parcel
  • part company
  • parting of the ways
  • parting shot
  • part with
  • party line

also see:

  • best part of
  • better half (part of)
  • discretion is the better part of valor
  • do one's bit (part)
  • fool and his money are soon parted
  • for one's part
  • for the most part
  • in good part
  • in part
  • take part
  • take someone's part

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.