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de·part·ment

Pronounced:

/dɪˈpɑɚtmənt/Listen to audio

Function:

noun

Inflected forms:

plural de·part·ments

Meaning:

[count] 1 : one of the major parts of a company, organization, government, or school Your letter has been forwarded to our sales department. When you get to the hospital, go directly to the X-ray department. the country's energy department the Department of Defense = the Defense Department the county sheriff's department the university's math and science departments the department of modern languages the college's athletic department She joined the town's police department.abbr. dept.see also fire department
2 : an area in a store where a particular kind of product is sold the toy department Which department should we go to first? I'd like to start in the men's department. [=the part of the store that sells clothing for men]
3 informal a : a subject or activity that a person is interested in or responsible for Taking care of the cat is not my department. [=responsibility] b often humorousused to say that someone or something has or does not have a particular quality She's sweet, but she's somewhat lacking in the intelligence department. [=she is not very intelligent] He does pretty well in the looks department. [=he is attractive] Both cars do well in the safety department. [=both cars are safe to drive]
—de·part·men·tal Listen to audio /dɪˌpɑɚtˈmɛnt/ adjective departmental responsibilities the departmental budget
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