departments

IPA/dɪˈpɑːt.mənt/
KK[dɪpˈɑrtmənts]IPA/dɪˈpɑːrt.mənt/

departments — noun

  • departmentssingular
  • departmentsesplural

1. one of the separate sections within a large organization, company, school, or go

1.nounB1
Definition

one of the separate sections within a large organization, company, school, or government body, each responsible for a particular type of work or area of study.

Example

Zuri works in the marketing department of a large electronics company.

the marketing department — area-name + department

Evelyn's father is the head of the history department at a university in Texas.

head of the history department

Common collocations
  • department head
  • head of department
  • department of
  • within the department
  • across departments
Synonyms
  • division

    often larger or more formal than a department

  • section

    can be smaller than a department

  • unit

    focuses on a specific function within an organization

  • branch

    often a separate physical location of an organization

Grammar Patterns

the [area] department

Department of [subject]

Usage Note

Often used with a specific area or field name: finance department, history department, sales department. Capitalized when part of an official name: Department of Education.

Common Mistakes

I work in department of marketing.
I work in the marketing department.
You need an article (the) or a determiner before 'department' when describing it.
She is a department of the company's legal team.
She works in the legal department of the company.
A department is a section, not a person's role.

2. one of the named areas into which some countries, especially France, are divided

2.nounB2
Definition

one of the named areas into which some countries, especially France, are divided for local government and administration.

Example

France is divided into 101 departments, each with its own local government office.

France is divided into 101 departments

Lakan lives in the Ardèche department in southern France.

the Ardèche department — proper name + department

Common collocations
  • French department
  • department of [region name]
  • the Gironde department
  • divided into departments
Synonyms
  • region

    broader than a department; may not have the same administrative structure

  • province

    used for administrative divisions in many countries

  • prefecture

    used in Japan and some other countries

  • district

    usually smaller than a department

Grammar Patterns

the [name] department

department of [region]

Usage Note

Used mainly for France and a small number of other countries that adopted the French system. Other countries use different terms such as province, state, prefecture, or county.

Common Mistakes

California is divided into 58 departments.
California is divided into 58 counties.
'Department' as an administrative region is used mainly in France, not in the United States.

3. a particular area of activity, knowledge, or responsibility that a person deals

3.nounB2
Definition

a particular area of activity, knowledge, or responsibility that a person deals with or specializes in.

Example

Making travel arrangements is not really my department — you should ask Ingrid instead.

not really my department — informal possessive use

Technical support is Bilal's department, so he handles all the computer problems.

somebody's department

Common collocations
  • my department
  • your department
  • somebody's department
  • not my department
Synonyms
  • area

    less specific; can refer to any field

  • field

    focuses on knowledge or expertise rather than responsibility

  • domain

    more formal; implies ownership or control

  • province

    formal or literary; 'That's not my province.'

Grammar Patterns

[possessive] department

somebody's department

Usage Note

Very common in informal speech with possessive determiners: 'That's not my department.' Can sound light-hearted or polite when declining tasks. Avoid in formal writing.

Common Mistakes

That is not my department of work.
That is not my department.
Adding 'of work' is redundant; 'department' already means the area of responsibility.
Cooking is the department of Sara.
Cooking is Sara's department.
Use the possessive form ('s), not 'the department of [person]'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words refer to parts of a larger organization, but they differ in size and formality. 'Division' typically suggests the largest and most formal grouping — a company might have a 'software division' containing several departments. 'Department' is the most common everyday term for any named functional group within a school, company, or government body. 'Section' is often smaller than a department and more informal, such as a 'customer service section' within a larger department. 'Unit' emphasizes a team with a specific operational task, like a 'research unit.' 'Branch' usually means a separate physical location of an organization, such as a 'bank branch' in a different town. For everyday work situations, 'department' is the safest choice. For a formal, large-scale grouping, use 'division.'

division ↗section ↗unit ↗branch ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • department head
  • department store
  • department chair
  • government department
  • police department
  • fire department

Phrases

  • head of department
  • Department of...
  • somebody's department

Prepositions

  • within a department
  • across departments
  • in a department
  • between departments

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'department' entered English in the 1400s from French 'département', meaning 'a dividing or parting'. The French word comes from 'départir' (to divide, to separate), which in turn goes back to Latin 'dispertire' — 'dis-' (apart) + 'partire' (to share, part). The administrative sense (a French territorial unit) dates from the French Revolution in 1789, when the revolutionary government reorganized the country into equal-sized 'départements'.

First known use

1735

1735, in the meaning defined at sense 1