department
noun
de·part·ment
di-ˈpärt-mənt 
1
a
: a distinct sphere : province
that's not my department
b
: a category consisting especially of a measurable activity or attribute
lacking in the trustworthiness department—
Garrison Keillor
Garrison Keillor2
: a functional or territorial division: such as
a
: a major administrative division of a government
b
: a major territorial administrative subdivision
c
: a division of a college or school giving instruction in a particular subject
d
: a major division of a business
e
: a section of a department store handling a particular kind of merchandise
f
: a territorial subdivision made for the administration and training of military units
Synonyms
Examples of department in a Sentence
Your letter has been forwarded to our sales department.
When you get to the hospital, go directly to the X-ray department.
the university's math and science departments
the department of modern languages
She joined the town's police department.
Recent Examples on the Web
The agency has a robust digital department with clients such as TikTok mega influencer turned actor and singer Addison Rae, creator turned singer Chase Hudson – a.k.a Huddy – and TikToker and educator Taylor Cassidy.
—Nicole Fell, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Apr. 2024
Jessica Duff, a spokesperson for the Pulaski County Special School District, said that just before 11:30 a.m. on Monday, their I.T. department had signals that power might be back in the affected schools, but Entergy still had the outage reported.
—Remington Miller, arkansasonline.com, 15 Apr. 2024
The jail’s inmate population stood at 1,137 as of Friday, according to the sheriff’s department’s website.
—Bay City News Service, The Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2024
Before long, the growing company asked her to set up a call center and customer experience department.
—Russ Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024
Police said that Holbert saw the department's press conference on Friday afternoon and saw that there was a police presence in and around his apartment complex and decided to turn himself in on Saturday.
—Abigail Celaya, The Arizona Republic, 14 Apr. 2024
There would be $18.5 million in additional savings across several departments created primarily by a citywide hiring freeze, elimination of some training programs, delaying purchase of some supplies and making administrative changes.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024
Hauser already has some experience in the biopic department.
—Chris Foran, Journal Sentinel, 12 Apr. 2024
The department’s Office for Civil Rights is often considered the second-largest such sub-agency in all of government, with a to-do list touching everything from lesson plans, school sports, bathrooms, bullying, and fair spending from pre-K to graduate studies.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
Nicole Fell, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Apr. 2024
Jessica Duff, a spokesperson for the Pulaski County Special School District, said that just before 11:30 a.m. on Monday, their I.T. department had signals that power might be back in the affected schools, but Entergy still had the outage reported.
—Remington Miller, arkansasonline.com, 15 Apr. 2024
The jail’s inmate population stood at 1,137 as of Friday, according to the sheriff’s department’s website.
—Bay City News Service, The Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2024
Before long, the growing company asked her to set up a call center and customer experience department.
—Russ Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024
Police said that Holbert saw the department's press conference on Friday afternoon and saw that there was a police presence in and around his apartment complex and decided to turn himself in on Saturday.
—Abigail Celaya, The Arizona Republic, 14 Apr. 2024
There would be $18.5 million in additional savings across several departments created primarily by a citywide hiring freeze, elimination of some training programs, delaying purchase of some supplies and making administrative changes.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024
Hauser already has some experience in the biopic department.
—Chris Foran, Journal Sentinel, 12 Apr. 2024
The department’s Office for Civil Rights is often considered the second-largest such sub-agency in all of government, with a to-do list touching everything from lesson plans, school sports, bathrooms, bullying, and fair spending from pre-K to graduate studies.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'department.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near department
Cite this Entry
“Department.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/department. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
department
noun
de·part·ment
di-ˈpärt-mənt
1
: a distinct area of interest or activity
taking care of the cat is not my department
2
a
: a major administrative division of a government or business
b
: a major territorial administrative division
c
: a division of a college or school giving instruction in a particular subject
d
: a section of a department store
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