department
/dɪˈpɑːt.mənt/ IELTSAcademic
noun
A department is one of the main parts of a large organization, company, school, or government. It has a special job or area of responsibility.
- I work in the sales department.
- The health department issued a warning.
- She studied in the English department.
Adinary Nuance
Department is more formal than team and more specific than area. In a company, a department is an official unit, like HR or finance. In a school or university, it is a subject-based division, like the physics department. Choose department when you mean a recognized part of a larger institution.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- phòng ban
- Spanish
- departamento
- Chinese
- 部门
- Japanese
- 部署
- Korean
- 부서
Etymology
Department comes from French département, from the verb départir, meaning “divide” or “separate.” It entered English in the 17th century.
Common phrases
sales departmenthuman resources departmentgovernment departmentdepartment store
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is department formal or informal?
- It is fairly formal and common in business, education, and government.
- What is the difference between department and team?
- A department is usually a larger official unit. A team is smaller and often works on one project.
- Can I say department in a school or university?
- Yes. It often means a subject group, like the chemistry department.
- What does department store mean?
- It is a large shop that sells many different kinds of products.