section
C1Neutral to formal; common in technical, academic, business, and everyday contexts.
Definition
Meaning
Any of the parts into which something is divided or from which it is made.
A distinct group within a larger body; a subdivision of a written work; a view or representation of something as if cut through to show its internal structure; the action of cutting or dividing something.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The core sense relates to parts or subdivisions of a whole. It can refer to physical parts (a section of pipe), conceptual divisions (a section of a report), social groups (a section of society), or a visual representation (a cross-section). As a verb, it means to divide or cut.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In UK legal/administrative contexts, 'section' is used specifically for compulsory admission to a psychiatric hospital (e.g., 'sectioned under the Mental Health Act'). This usage exists but is less prominent in the US. In American education, 'section' often refers to a specific class meeting time (e.g., 'Physics 101, Section B'), a usage less common in the UK where 'class' or 'seminar' is preferred.
Connotations
Neutral in both varieties. The UK legal 'section' has a strong negative/stigmatising connotation.
Frequency
Very high frequency in both varieties, with similar core usage patterns.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
section of [NOUN]section on [TOPIC]section through [OBJECT]be divided into sectionssee section [NUMBER]in the [ADJECTIVE] sectionVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Caesarean section”
- “golden section”
- “section eight (US military discharge)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to departments or parts of a report (e.g., 'the marketing section', 'see section 3.2 on projections').
Academic
Refers to subdivisions of a paper, chapter, or law (e.g., 'the methodology section', 'as per Section 14 of the Act').
Everyday
Refers to parts of a supermarket, newspaper, or stadium (e.g., 'the dairy section', 'the sports section', 'we sat in the cheap section').
Technical
In medicine: a cut or surgical division. In engineering/architecture: a scaled drawing of a cut-through view. In music: a group of similar instruments.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The patient was sectioned under the Mental Health Act after assessment.
- The planner proposed sectioning the large park into distinct recreational zones.
American English
- The city council voted to section off part of the street for the festival.
- The fabric can be easily sectioned with pinking shears.
adverb
British English
- The report is divided sectionally by geographic region.
- The data was analysed sectionally before a final summary was made.
American English
- The land was surveyed sectionally, one square mile at a time.
- The treaty was negotiated almost sectionally, with each clause debated separately.
adjective
British English
- The section drawing clearly showed the building's internal layout.
- We need a section view to understand the pipework connections.
American English
- The section marker on the blueprint refers to detail 5A.
- A section cut through the model revealed its hollow core.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The fruits are in the first section of the shop.
- Please read section one of the book.
- The newspaper has a special section for job advertisements.
- Our seats were in the most expensive section of the theatre.
- The final section of her essay brilliantly summarised the main argument.
- This section of the motorway is notorious for its traffic jams.
- The biopsy involved taking a thin section of the tissue for microscopic analysis.
- The act was controversial, particularly section 28 which prohibited the 'promotion' of homosexuality.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a large orange. You CUT it into SECTIONS. The word 'section' contains 'sect' which means 'cut' (like in 'dissect' or 'insect' – cut into segments).
Conceptual Metaphor
KNOWLEDGE/ORGANIZATION IS A PHYSICAL STRUCTURE WITH PARTS (e.g., 'break down the argument into sections'); SOCIETY IS A PHYSICAL OBJECT (e.g., 'all sections of society').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid translating as 'секция' for all contexts. 'Секция' is good for a club/interest group or a supermarket compartment. For a part of a text, use 'раздел', 'часть', 'параграф'. For a cross-sectional drawing, use 'разрез', 'сечение'. For a department, use 'отдел', 'сектор'.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'session' instead of 'section' (false friend from similar sound). Incorrect preposition: 'in the section of' instead of 'in the section on' or 'in the section about'. Overusing 'section' where 'part' or 'area' is more natural.
Practice
Quiz
In which context does 'section' have a distinct, strong negative connotation in British English?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Part' is the most general. 'Section' implies a distinct, often formally defined subdivision of a structured whole (a document, organisation, area). 'Portion' often refers to a share or an amount of something, especially food or abstract concepts like time.
Yes. It means 1) to divide into sections, or 2) (UK-specific) to compulsorily admit someone to a psychiatric hospital under a section of the Mental Health Act.
It is 1) a surface or shape exposed by making a straight cut through something, especially at right angles to an axis (e.g., 'the cross-section of a stem'), or 2) a representative sample of a group (e.g., 'a cross-section of public opinion').
Yes, precisely. It is a subdivision within a larger section, commonly used in legal documents, manuals, and detailed reports to create a hierarchy (e.g., Section 5, Subsection 5.1).