partition

1 of 2

noun

par·​ti·​tion pär-ˈti-shən 

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

pär-ˈti-sh(ə-)nər 

noun

Synonyms

Noun

• member
• part
• portion
• section
• segment

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

Four gargantuan tents were carved up into a maze of cubicles with cots, divided by seven-foot-high partitions meant to offer a measure of privacy for 500 families. —Luis Ferré-Sadurní, New York Times, 23 Dec. 2024

The person can be seen in one of the photos through the partition of what appears to be a New York City taxi, wearing a blue medical mask and a black hoodie. —Tom Winter, NBC News, 8 Dec. 2024

Verb

Nearly a century ago, the British partitioned the island as part of a deal granting independence to a new Irish state. —Daniel Finn, Foreign Affairs, 21 Aug. 2019

The first step is to partition the chip into high-level functional blocks, such as CPU cores, memory blocks, and so on. —Somdeb Majumdar, IEEE Spectrum, 21 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1653, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing partition

• partition off

Kids Definition

partition

noun

par·​ti·​tion

pər-ˈtish-ən,

pär-

1

: division sense 1a, separation

2

: an interior dividing wall

3

: part entry 1 sense 1a, section

partition verb

partitioner

-ˈtish-(ə-)nər

noun

Medical Definition

partition

noun

par·​ti·​tion pär-ˈtish-ən 

: 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 

: 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