part

noun \ ˈpärt \

Updated on: 6 Dec 2017

Definition of part

1 a (1) : one of the often indefinite or unequal subdivisions into which something is or is regarded as divided and which together constitute the whole

… the road was passable only part of the year …
—Samuel Johnson

(2) : an essential portion or integral element

Change is an inevitable part of life.

b : one of several or many equal units of which something is composed or into which it is divisible : an amount equal to another amount

mix one part of the powder with three parts of water

c (1) : an exact divisor of a quantity : aliquot

(2) : partial fraction

d : one of the constituent elements of a plant or animal body: such as

(1) : organ, member

The stomach is part of the digestive system.

(2) parts plural : private parts

e : a division of a literary work

a novel in four parts

f (1) : a vocal or instrumental line or melody in concerted music or in harmony

(2) : a particular voice or instrument in concerted music; also : the score for it

the violin part

g : a constituent member of a machine or other apparatus

the parts of an airplane

; also : a spare part

automobile parts

2 : something falling to one in a division or apportionment : share

wanted no part of the proposal

3 : one's share or allotted task (as in an action) : duty

one must do one's part

4 : one of the opposing sides in a conflict or dispute

he that is not against us is on our part
—Mark 9:40 (King James Version)

5 : a general area of indefinite boundaries —usually used in plural

you're not from around these parts

took off for parts unknown

6 : a function or course of action performed

objected to the government's part in the strike

7 a : an actor's lines in a play

The actress learned her part well.

b : the role of a character in a play

played the part of the villain

8 : a constituent of character or capacity : talent

a man of many parts

9 : the line where the hair is parted

His part was on the left side of his head.

— for one's part

: as far as one's share or interest is concerned

for my part, I do not see that the difference is important
—Mary McCarthy

— for the most part

: in general : on the whole

for the most part the crowd was orderly

— in part

: in some degree : partially

— on one's part or on the part of one

: with regard to the one specified

See part defined for English-language learners

See part defined for kids

Examples of part in a Sentence

The entire book is good, but the best part is the ending.
I don't remember him saying that. I must have missed that part.
The mechanic had to order the part from the manufacturer.
The parts of a radio include the speaker, dials, and antenna.
Do you have any spare parts for this model of car?
the moving parts of the machine
parts of the human body
My favorite part of the chicken is the drumstick.
a diagram labeling the different parts of the flower
Come join us and be part of a winning team.

Recent Examples of part from the Web

In the rural Southwest part of the state, where Gillespie is counting on a big edge, absentee voting is up compared with the 2013 governor’s race.

— Washington Post, "In the final sprint to Election Day, an historic push to turn out voters in Va," 6 Nov. 2017
If Kerrigan’s half of the show is defined by precision, Seimetz’s part takes pleasure in mussing everything up.

— sophie gilbert, The Atlantic, "The Bleak World of The Girlfriend Experience," 5 Nov. 2017
Proposing legislation to legalize the recreational use of marijuana was the easy part for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

— ian austen, New York Times, "Ready or Not, Recreational Marijuana Use Is Coming to Canada," 4 Nov. 2017
In part, this reflects greater optimism about the global economy.

— The Economist, "ButtonwoodInvestors call the end of the government-bond bull market (again)," 4 Nov. 2017
That’s part of the reason why Lexus (with four utility pods) is so soundly spanking Cadillac (which has only two).

— kyle stock, Bloomberg.com, "The State of the Great American SUV Race, in Three Charts," 3 Nov. 2017
Rather than merely conducting from a seated position throughout, Schiff seized on every opportunity when the piano part falls silent to jump up to shape and invigorate the music with both hands.

— john von rhein, chicagotribune.com, "Schiff moves with conviction from piano bench to CSO podium," 3 Nov. 2017
The Sandra Levine Theatre is part of a $22 million project to renovate and expand the university’s existing arts building into a new Gambrell Center for the Arts & Civic Engagement.

— mark price, charlotteobserver, "Sandra Levine was the last to know Queens University was naming a theater in her honor | Charlotte Observer," 5 Nov. 2017
The meeting was reportedly brokered by the UAE and was part of an effort to set up a back-channel line of communications between Russia and the Trump administration.

— jonathan allen, NBC News, "Can Erik Prince Beat the GOP Establishment and Win a Senate Seat?," 5 Nov. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of part

Middle English, from Anglo-French & Old English, both from Latin part-, pars; perhaps akin to Latin parare to prepare — more at pare

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

part Synonyms

Synonyms

member, partition, portion, section, segment

Related Words

component, constituent, element, factor, ingredient, moiety, parcel; cut, length; bit, fragment, particle, scrap

Near Antonyms

whole; aggregate, composite, compound, sum, total, totality

Synonym Discussion of part

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

part

verb

Definition of part

intransitive verb

1 a : to separate from or take leave of someone

b : to take leave of one another

2 : to become separated into parts

3 a : to go away : depart

b : die

4 : to become separated, detached, or broken

5 : to relinquish possession or control

hated to part with that money

transitive verb

1 a : to divide into parts

b : to separate by combing on each side of a line

c : to break or suffer the breaking of (something, such as a rope or anchor chain)

2 : to divide into shares and distribute : apportion

3 a : to remove from contact or association

if aught but death part thee and me
—Ruth 1:17 (King James Version)

b : to keep separate

the narrow channel that parts England from France

c : to hold (people, such as brawlers) apart

d : to separate by a process of extraction, elimination, or secretion

4 a archaic : leave, quit

b dialectal British : relinquish, give up

— part company

1 : to end a relationship or association

2 : to diverge from another (as in opinion) —often used with with

See part defined for English-language learners

Examples of part in a Sentence

The crowd parted to let the president through.
The rain stopped and the clouds parted.
The big red curtains parted to reveal a new car!
The Bible tells the story of how God parted the Red Sea.
She closed her eyes and parted her lips.
She parts her hair on the side.
His dark hair was parted down the middle.
The two lovers parted at dawn.
Tomorrow we shall part and, I fear, never see each other again.
She couldn't bear the thought of parting from her family.

Recent Examples of part from the Web

In December 2014, three eminent Nike designers also parted ways with the company, allegedly violating their noncompetes to start immediately at Adidas (Nike’s subsequent $10 million suit against Adidas was settled out of court).

— isabel flower, WSJ, "Is Mass Customization the Future of Footwear?," 24 Oct. 2017
Mr Janot’s parting shots leave Brazil in an uncertain state.

— The Economist, "The Lava Jato investigationsThe parting shots of Brazil’s chief prosecutor," 21 Sep. 2017
New York parted ways with its two most experienced receivers - Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker - in the offseason and lost its top returning receiver - Quincy Enunwa - to a season-ending neck injury during training camp.

— mark inabinett, AL.com, "ArDarius Stewart still has his eyes on Amari Cooper," 17 Sep. 2017
Dave and Gwen have never parted through all those years, 10 News reports.

— jack holmes, Esquire, "Florida Man Raises His Pet Gator on Pizza and Chips Ahoy!," 15 July 2016
Of course, American Innovations does more than simply swapping the genders—in rewriting the stories, Galchen never parts with her keen sense of absurdism, and tinkers with convention in these dense psychological riffs on English Lit classics.

— adrienne westenfeld, Town & Country, "How Do Classic Stories Differ With a Female Point of View?," 16 May 2014
Fox has parted ways with Eric Bolling after accusations against the host came to light.

— megan garber, The Atlantic, "Harvey Weinstein and the Power of Celebrity Exceptionalism," 13 Oct. 2017
Harvey Weinstein and his brother Bob created the independent studio in 2005 after parting ways with their earlier venture, Miramax.

— anousha sakoui, Bloomberg.com, "Weinstein Harassment Allegations Add to His Studio’s Troubles," 7 Oct. 2017
The delusion of those parting with their money often matches the myopia of those squandering it.

— The Economist, "Out of the trapsEmerging markets are up and running," 5 Oct. 2017

Origin and Etymology of part

Middle English, from Anglo-French partir, from Latin partire to divide, from part-, pars

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

part Synonyms

Synonyms

branch (out), diverge, divide, fork, separate, spread

Antonyms

converge, join

Related Words

bestrew, break up, broadcast, clear out, disband, dispel, disperse, dissipate, distribute, scatter, sow; distance, recede, retreat

Near Antonyms

assemble, gather, meet

Synonym Discussion of part

separate, part, divide, sever, sunder, divorce mean to become or cause to become disunited or disjointed. separate may imply any of several causes such as dispersion, removal of one from others, or presence of an intervening thing.

- separated her personal life from her career

part implies the separating of things or persons in close union or association.

- vowed never to part

divide implies separating into pieces or sections by cutting or breaking.

- civil war divided the nation

sever implies violence especially in the removal of a part or member.

- a severed limb

sunder suggests violent rending or wrenching apart.

- a city sundered by racial conflict

divorce implies separating two things that commonly interact and belong together.

- cannot divorce scientific research from moral responsibility

part

adverb

Definition of part

: partly

See part defined for English-language learners

Examples of part in a Sentence

The story is part science and part fiction.
The Chimera is a monster in Greek mythology that is part lion, part goat, and part serpent.

First Known Use of part

15th century

part Synonyms

Synonyms

half, halfway, incompletely, partly, partially, partway

Antonyms

all, altogether, completely, entirely, fully, perfectly, quite, totally, utterly, wholly

Related Words

fragmentarily; enough, fairly, kindly [chiefly Southern], kind of, like, moderately, more or less, pretty, quite, rather, relatively, something, somewhat, sort of

Near Antonyms

absolutely, dead, downright, plain; especially, exceedingly (also exceeding), exceptionally, extremely, greatly, highly, hugely, particularly, very

part

adjective

Definition of part

: partial 1

See part defined for English-language learners

Examples of part in a Sentence

The claim is a part truth—there is more to the story than they are telling you.

Recent Examples of part from the Web

For a musician who has always been part pop artist, part actor, all these excursions make a strange kind of sense.

— scott timberg, latimes.com, "A master pop interpreter, Bryan Ferry shares his secret — to approach a song 'the way jazz players do'," 24 Aug. 2017
Similarly, the football players took part Wednesday night in a vigil.

— george schroeder, USA TODAY, "Virginia football team responds to Charlottesville violence with resolve to inspire unity," 17 Aug. 2017
There’s just not part-time people getting into it right now,’’ said Detherage, who has two firefighter/paramedic open positions.

— chris mayhew, Cincinnati.com, "Fire departments take aim at paramedic shortage," 27 July 2017
The proposal included calls to allow Metro to hire more part-time employees, and allow management to fix work schedules without being subject to outside arbitration.

— robert mccartney, Washington Post, "Despite criticisms, new study finds Metro workers’ pay and benefits are typical for industry.," 20 July 2017
The post Oregon State, coach Gary Andersen mutually part ways appeared first on SEC Country.

— andrew astleford, ajc, "Oregon State, coach Gary Andersen mutually part ways," 9 Oct. 2017
To be clear, this is not necessarily part two of a trilogy that will become a feature.

— john defore, The Hollywood Reporter, "'World of Tomorrow Episode Two: The Burden of Other People's Thoughts': Film Review | Fantastic Fest 2017," 25 Sep. 2017
Hundreds of people gathered for what was part reunion, part celebration, part wake.

— kenneth chang, New York Times, "Cassini Vanishes Into Saturn, Its Mission Celebrated and Mourned," 14 Sep. 2017
North Korea’s latest nuclear test was part theater, part propaganda and maybe even part fake.

— Washington Post, "H-bomb or not, experts say North Korea near its nuclear goal," 7 Sep. 2017

First Known Use of part

15th century

part

abbreviation

Definition of part

1 participial; participle

2 particular

PART Defined for English Language Learners

part

noun

Definition of part for English Language Learners

: one of the pieces, sections, qualities, etc., that make or form something
: one of the pieces that are put together to form a machine
: one of the pieces or areas of the body of a plant or animal

part

adverb

Definition of part for English Language Learners

: somewhat but not completely : to some extent or in some degree

part

adjective

Definition of part for English Language Learners

: not complete or total

PART Defined for Kids

part

noun \ ˈpärt \

Definition of part for Students

1 : one of the sections into which something is divided

This is the best part of the movie.

That wasn't part of our agreement.

2 : some of something

My dog is part husky.

I spent part of my day reading.

3 : a general area

She moved to another part of the state.

4 : a piece of a machine

5 : one of the sides or aspects

The best part of camp is making new friends.

6 : the role of a character in a play

7 : a line along which the hair is divided

8 : a person's share or duty

I did my part for the team.

9 : the music for a voice or instrument

the soprano part

10 : a voice or instrument

four-part harmony

11 : a piece of a plant or animal body

— for the most part

: with few exceptions : on the whole

They were, for the most part, very pleased.

Word Root of part

The Latin word pars, meaning “part,” and its form partis give us the root part. Words from the Latin pars have something to do with a part, section, or portion. To participate is to take part in some activity. Anything partial involves only part of something. A particle is a tiny bit or portion of something. It is easy to see that part itself also comes directly from pars in both form and meaning.

Synonym Discussion of part

part, portion, and section mean something less than the whole to which it belongs. part is used when something is taken away from the whole or thought of as being separate from the rest.

- A part of the room is used for storage.

portion is used when a whole has been divided into assigned parts.

- Cut the pie into six portions.

section is used if the parts of the whole are recognizable and have been separated by or as if by cutting.

- This newspaper has four sections.

part

verb

Definition of part for Students

parted; parting

1 : to leave each other

They parted at the intersection.

2 : to separate the hair by combing on each side of a line

3 : to give up possession of

She won't part with her money.

4 : to hold apart

He parted the curtains.

5 : to come apart

The crowd parted to let us through.

6 : to divide into parts

part.

abbreviation

Definition of part. for Students

participle

Medical Dictionary

part

noun \ ˈpärt \

medical Definition of part

1 : one of several or many like units into which something is divided or of which it is composed : a proportional division or ingredient

mix the powder with three parts of water

2 : a portion of an animal body: as

a : an essential anatomical element : organ, member

the chief parts of the digestive system are the esophagus, stomach, intestine, and associated glands

b : an indefinite area or one lacking or not considered in respect to a natural boundary

bathe the affected part with warm water

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