segment
Americannoun
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one of the parts into which something naturally separates or is divided; a division, portion, or section.
a segment of an orange.
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Geometry.
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a part cut off from a figure, especially a circular or spherical one, by a line or plane, as a part of a circular area contained by an arc and its chord or by two parallel lines or planes.
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Also called line segment. a finite section of a line.
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Zoology.
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any of the rings that compose the body of an annelid or arthropod.
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any of the discrete parts of the body of an animal, especially of an arthropod.
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an object, as a machine part, having the form of a segment or sector of a circle.
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Computers.
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a portion of a program, often one that can be loaded and executed independently of other portions.
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a unit of data in a database.
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an arclike support on which the typebars of a typewriter rest when not in use.
verb (used with or without object)
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to separate or divide into segments.
noun
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maths
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a part of a line or curve between two points
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a part of a plane or solid figure cut off by an intersecting line, plane, or planes, esp one between a chord and an arc of a circle
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one of several parts or sections into which an object is divided; portion
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zoology any of the parts into which the body or appendages of an annelid or arthropod are divided
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linguistics a speech sound considered in isolation
verb
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to cut or divide (a whole object) into segments
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The portion of a line between any two of its points.
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The region bounded by an arc of a circle and the chord that connects the endpoints of the arc.
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The portion of a sphere included between a pair of parallel planes that intersect it or are tangent to it.
Related Words
See part.
Other Word Forms
- intersegment noun
- multisegment adjective
- multisegmented adjective
- nonsegmentary adjective
- nonsegmented adjective
- segmentary adjective
- segmentate adjective
- unsegmentary adjective
- unsegmented adjective
Etymology
Origin of segment
First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin segmentum, equivalent to sec(āre) “to cut” + -mentum -ment
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One segment of value stocks that have seen a boost from the war: energy companies.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
On my show, What Next: TBD, we’ve started a segment called TBD Tries, in which we try different tools and apps to really put them to the test.
From Slate • Apr. 5, 2026
It was as distasteful a segment as you’d expect from “Update,” yet also somehow straddled the line between wallowing in the scandal and mining some genuine laughs out of it.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026
Disney’s experience segment — which include its cruises, parks and hotels businesses — made up 57% of the company’s operating income last fiscal year.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026
So the CPS school-choice program did help prepare a small segment of otherwise struggling students for solid careers by giving them practical skills.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
