compartment
Americannoun
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a part or space marked or partitioned off.
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a separate room, section, etc..
a baggage compartment.
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U.S. Railroads. a private bedroom with toilet facilities.
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a separate aspect, function, or the like.
the compartments of the human mind.
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Architecture. a distinct major division of a design.
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Heraldry. a decorative base, as a grassy mound, on which the supporters of an escutcheon stand or rest.
verb (used with object)
noun
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one of the sections into which an area, esp an enclosed space, is divided or partitioned
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any separate part or section
a compartment of the mind
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a small storage space; locker
Other Word Forms
- compartmental adjective
- compartmentally adverb
Etymology
Origin of compartment
1555–65; < Middle French compartiment < Italian compartimento. See compart, -ment
Explanation
A compartment is a space within another space, like the glove compartment in a car. Compartments are spaces, but they're not spaces that stand on their own. Rather, compartments are part of other spaces: they're subdivisions. The trunk is a compartment of a car. A pocket is a compartment of a suitcase. Closets are like compartments of rooms. One of the most common compartments is a car's glove compartment, where people throw all kinds of things. Anything that is divided into smaller spaces has compartments. The ventricles are like compartments of your heart.
Vocabulary lists containing compartment
"Modern Automotive Technology," Vocabulary from Section 6
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A Farewell To Arms
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ment
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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.
After Spivey’s truck arrived at the police impound lot, Jones pointed out a compartment concealed in the back seat and asked Tamasi to open it.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
Twenty Thai crew members returned home in mid-March, while three of their colleagues were missing and presumed trapped in the damaged engine compartment.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
The robots have four wheels and a bigger internal compartment for carrying food and goods .
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2026
"Red blood cells represent a hidden compartment of glucose metabolism that has not been appreciated until now," Jain says.
From Science Daily • Feb. 21, 2026
Lillian opened the glove compartment and fumbled for her rosary beads.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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.
