Oxford Dictionary English

department

noun
noun
BrE BrE//dɪˈpɑːtmənt//
; NAmE NAmE//dɪˈpɑːrtmənt//
(abbreviation Dept) University life, In the office, In the store
Add to my wordlist
jump to other results
  • a section of a large organization such as a government, business, university, etc. the Department of Health the Treasury Department a government/university, etc. department the marketing/sales, etc. department the children’s department (= in a large store) the English department see also police department, State Department See related entries: University life, In the office, In the store
    •  Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French departement, from departir, based on Latin dispertire ‘to divide’. The original sense was ‘division or distribution’, later ‘separation’, hence ‘a separate part’ (core sense, mid 18th cent.).Extra examples A new member of staff has joined the department. Complaints are dealt with in a different department. Contact our sales department for more information. Staff criticized the way the history department was run. The Tokyo police department is clamping down on organized crime. the Department for Transport the Department of Planning to gain promotion within the department I work in the sales department. Several professors from the history department will also speak at the event. The Department of Trade and Industry refused to comment on the allegations. The children’s department sells a wide range of good quality clothes.Idioms
    be somebody’s department
    Add to my wordlist
    jump to other results
    (informal) to be something that somebody is responsible for or knows a lot about Don't ask me about it—that's her department.
    See department in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic EnglishSee department in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
    Check pronunciation: department
    oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com